About
a new command…
John
13:34
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you,
so you must love one another. (NIV)
Jesus
gave us a new command. Jesus gave us a new order. There are no outs to this
command. We are commanded to love. There are no pre-existing conditions. There
are no exemptions. There are no deferments. There are no options. There are no
multiple choices. Christ’s command means we are to make every sacrifice, even
the sacrifice of our life, to carry out His order to love one another. We are to
follow Christ’s order or command without asking questions, without doubt,
without indecision, without rebellion, without stipulating our own wants and
needs, and without inner resistance. In Christ’s way of thinking, His command
to love one another ought to be automatic. In Christ’s way of thinking, the
way we love other people ought to be a sacrificial love. Our brand and
Christ’s brand of sacrificial love is not the “lay down and run over me”
type of love, but the type of love where we are willing to be hurt so others may
be loved. The sacrificial kind of love where we are willing to suffer so others
may be loved is the kind of love Jesus had for us. Jesus took the hurt on the
cross for us. He stood in our place. Many times, when we love someone as we are
supposed to love another person, we must be willing to suffer the pain of giving
the other person their freedom. Many times, when we love someone, we must be
willing to suffer the pain not living their life for them. Many times, giving
another person their freedom, like Christ gave us our freedom, hurts more than
anything else.
