Love Is Core

I was reading these verses yesterday morning - John 13:34-35 NIV: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. [35] By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

I was meditating specifically on verse 35. I find it so encouraging that its our love for one another that will distinguish us as Jesus' followers. Its not our religious fervor, our efforts at making ourselves righteous or pure, nor will it be our worship, our buildings, or meetings that distinguishes us from others. (Not that those things aren't good). It will be our love for each other!

We all have some idea what love for each other looks like, and its based on relationships. So often our church experience is focused on sermons, services, and meetings to learn more about our faith, which are all good, but not the single thing that will distinguish us. If our love for each other is the one thing that Jesus said will set us apart and cause us to look different than all the rest of the people, why are we not spending most of our time focused on that? Why are we not focused on building loving, strong, merciful, gracious, intimate, helpful and serving relationships?

I know this is boiling everything down to a simple perspective, but sometimes its helpful to just stop and ask oneself wants most important. Paul clearly understood the focus on love for each other as the "most excellent way" (1 Cor 12:31). John said that this was the core message, the message we have heard from the very beginning, that "we should love one another"(1 John 3:11). Peter said we should "love one another deeply, from the heart" (1 Peter 1:22). James called it the royal law found in Scripture, that we love our neighbors as ourselves (James 2:8).

My encouragement this morning is to focus on the single most distinguishing feature of my faith, my love for others. Like the exercise mindset of focusing on the core, focusing on love affects everything else. Lord, help me to love like You loved, for that is the command, that is the core of our walk as Your followers!