By: Richard W. Greene
There is a story about the Apostle John, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus, who when he was very old and unable to walk, would stand before the congregation to speak with God’s people. He only had enough strength to say one sentence, to give them one word from the Lord. The word he would tell them was, “Little children, love one another!”
Jesus told His disciples, “A new commandment I give to you,that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love oneanother. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have loveone for another” (John 13:34-35).
Love is the mark that we are true disciples of Jesus.Sometimes it is difficult to love one another. We do not always agree with oneanother, or share the same values and priorities as one another. Many of ushave been hurt, or abandoned, or abused, and even violated by people we trustedand loved. Often, the people closest to us have inflicted great pain on us. Iknow that many of you have suffered terrible things in your lives. This cancause us to hurt others by saying unkind things about them, or wishing themevil. But as followers of Jesus, we are commanded to love one another even asJesus has loved us.
We can see this love demonstrated in the life of the earlyChurch, especially in Acts 2:42-47. There we read that the followers of Jesuswere devoted to one another, sharing their meals and homes with one another,praying for those who were sick or discouraged, and even selling theirpossessions to care for any who might be in need. Their love was evident to allwho saw them and was a great testimony to those outside the Church.
How can we love one another as they loved one another? Theirlove was the fruit of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Jesus promised that afterHe returned to His Father He would send the Holy Spirit to His disciples. Evenas the Father is God, and Jesus the Son is God, so also the Holy Spirit is God,the third person of the holy trinity. It is the Holy Spirit within us Whoguides us, comforts us, and empowers us to live as Jesus called us to live.When we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will have a supernatural ability tolove one another and to even love our enemies and those who hurt us. This kindof love, the same love Jesus has for us, is impossible without the Holy Spirit.But if you believe in the Lord Jesus and trust Him for your salvation, then youcan receive the Holy Spirit and fulfill Jesus’ command to love one another evenas He has loved you. All you need to do is ask the Father, and He will give youthe Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13).
Many years ago, I was in India in a rural village area. Oneafternoon I went for a walk. It began to rain. A poor woman saw me walking inthe rain and motioned for me to come and sit under the shelter of a roofattached to the very small hut in which she and her family lived. This familywas so poor they did not even own a chair for me to sit on, and I had to sit ona log. She spoke no English, and I did not speak her language. As we sattogether under this small roof, with her husband, son, and mother, the womansmiled at me, excited and happy to have me in her home. I will never forget theexpression of joy on her face as I sat there. I prayed and asked the Lord for ablessing from Him for her and her family. But how could I bless them if I couldnot speak their language? After a short time, the woman saw me holding my Bibleand indicated to me that she also had a Bible. I somehow communicated to herwith my hands that I would like to see her Bible. She went inside her hut andcame out with it. The Bible was wrapped in a cloth, perhaps the most expensivething she owned. The woman knelt before me and carefully, reverently unwrappedthe Bible, handing it to me with great care and respect, as though it was hermost precious possession. While she had gone to get her Bible, I had opened myBible and asked the Holy Spirit to give me a blessing for this woman and herfamily. The Spirit showed me a verse of Scripture from 1 Chronicles 17:27,which reads, “Now therefore let it please You, O Lord, to bless the house ofYour servant, that it may be before You forever: for You bless, O Lord, and itshall be blessed forever.” When I read that verse, I knew it was the blessing theLord had chosen and prepared for this precious little family. I opened thewoman’s Bible to the verse and pointed to it, indicating to her that this versewas for her and her family. She read it to them with tears, kissing the versemany times. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit came upon all of us, and we felt thepresence and indescribable love of Jesus in our midst. There was so much joyand peace in Christ’s love that I felt as though we were taken to some specialplace in heaven. We were all weeping with joy at the greatness of God’s lovefor us. I remember thinking during that moment that I never wanted to leavethat place where Jesus’ love was so real.
Loving one another as Christ has loved us is not humanlypossible. Jesus’ love is so great and pure and unconditional, that we sinfulpeople cannot know it and experience it unless the Holy Spirit comes upon us.By simple faith, you can receive the Holy Spirit, and as you do you can knowthe love of Jesus. It is a love that forgives and cleanses us from all oursins. It is a love that overcomes all our fears and hurts and delivers us fromthe darkness that is in the world. And it is a love that will empower us tolove others as Christ has loved us. This is Jesus’ greatest commandment for us.
Let us be filled with the Holy Spirit, and remember theApostle John’s words: “Little children, love one another!”
