Love One Another as I Have Loved You

Love One Another as I Have Love You

 

Jesus commands us to love one another as He has loved us and it isn’t always easy to obey this command.  Here is what He says to us: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, as I have loved you.” (John 13:3)

 

When we think about love we think of it as just a feeling.  But love is a decision – a choice.  What choices or sacrifices do we have to make to obey His command to love others?  Christ is commanding us to love our neighbors and to love them as He loved us!  He gave His life for us and continues to love us always. And He is calling us to follow His example! 

 

We U. S. citizens have recently experienced another mass shooting!  The shooter killed fifty-nine people and injured over five hundred and fifty others at a Las Vegas concert. Just in the past few years our country has suffered many more of these mass shootings.  But this one in Las Vegas is the worst mass murder ever recorded in the history of our country!  

 

When the bullets were reigning down on the Las Vegas concert, many good people ran into the crowd to save the injured and dying.  Some giving up their lives to protect people they didn’t know. So many unselfish people risking their own lives on that terrible night! Weren’t they obeying Jesus’ command to love and care for one another? We are asking why this mass shooting happened?  Perhaps our questions should be more about what we can do to help make our country a safer place so this won’t happen again!

 

In trying to follow Jesus’ command to love others, we can cast our vote and use our influence to help make our country a safer, kinder and more loving place. We Christians are called to be “salt” and “light” to all those around us – to our neighbors. (Matthew 5:13) Salt seasons our food and gives flavor to the whole dish. And light chases away the darkness. So we, as “salt”, can be an influence for good and change the “flavor” in our country.  Instead of going along with wrong doing we can shine a “light” into the darkness. We can make a difference, set the tone, and spread Christ’s love to others.

 

 Most of the citizens of our country- the United States of America- feel strongly that “freedom” is all important. Freedom to do our own thing and in many states- Texas being one of them- we have freedom in Texas to carry our guns anywhere we want.  And freedom for mentally ill persons to purchase guns any time they want.

 

A loop hole in the gun laws today does not restrict anyone from buying a gun at a private gun show since many states do not require record checks for those buying guns at gun shows. Our society is not safe when the wrong people are carrying guns around.  But we continue to refuse to regulate these gun sales.  And the shootings and killings continue to get worse.  We need to temper our freedom with responsibility and we need to try to secure a reasonably safe place for all of us to live.  Isn’t that the loving thing to do?

 

Also, there is no safety net in our country for people who need prolonged medical care and have no money or insurance. We have a friend who lost his job and then broke his ankle. He couldn’t afford to pay to have his ankle bones set by a doctor. Now he forever walks with a limp because his ankle healed in a crooked position. Another friend lost his job and was forced to go without expensive long- term cancer treatments that could have saved his life. 

 

Another older friend has a serious thyroid problem, heart issues and diabetes.  Her monthly income doesn’t stretch far enough to cover both her prescription drugs and her groceries. So she chooses to buy food and she goes without her prescription drugs. If we Christians vote for candidates who care about these poor and desperate citizens then our vote may help to shine a light into some of the dark corners of our land. 

 

We live in a materialistic culture today where the gross national product is valued above everything else.  We will sell our souls for the bottom line. The productivity of the average worker has been pushed to the breaking point so that maximum profits can be earned.  Frantic workers are often stressed to the breaking point trying to reach their quotas.  Employees work harder and longer with less time off.  Cut throat tactics are regularly used in the workplace and loyalty is a thing of the past.  Jobs are sent overseas and faithful long- term workers are fired and replaced with cheaper labor in order to save a few bucks.  And some even dare to call these maneuvers Christian! 

 

Maybe in our rush to get ahead, we have done it all backwards!  We think we are better off financially but we may have paid a big price spiritually.  Are we taking Jesus’ command to “love our neighbor”seriously?  Or are we just playing games? Perhaps we can stop and ask God to lead us back to a kinder and more loving way of living.  Perhaps we can get serious about Jesus command to love others as He loves us!