“This is My commandment, that you love and unselfishly seek the best for one another, just as I have loved you. John 15:12 AMP
The Context and Focus:
Again, we see the best description of love, from the perspective of the One called Love Himself. Yesterday's focus was from the perspective of John, one of Jesus' disciples, who had seen and experienced firsthand what this love looked like, and that is why he could write so much about it because he knew it. John saw and heard and felt what love was, because he was there from the beginning of the earthly ministry of Jesus to the end. He was there at the wedding at Cana, was there when the lepers and blind Bartimaeus were healed, and he was also there when Jesus fed thousands with just bread and fish. The crowning experience must have been at the cross, where the full expression of love was seen, as Jesus, who knew no sin, hung on a cross and died for the sins of world. At the time, not too many people cared why he died, as they mocked and celebrated his death. He knew many people would reject him, as even one of His disciples betrayed him and then, out of sorrow, went to hang himself. He knew that many people in the world didn't know the reason or the purpose behind his sacrifice on the cross, and that even in the future, so many people would still reject him, but even if it was just for one person to have the opportunity to repent and return to God, the sacrifice would be worth it. That is how you define love.
The Message:
If this was the personal experience of someone who felt and experienced love, would it not even bear more weight to consider the view of the One who is love himself, and whose example has become the standard for love for all who claim to know and follow Him? As I read the verse above, the first two things that registers in my heart are the audience and the directive. Jesus was with his disciples, just before he went to the cross, and he gave a 'command', not a set of negotiated compromises or something that the disciples could pick and choose to do at will. It was a command given by a master to his followers. If indeed I qualify as a follower of Jesus, and I submit to his authority and Lordship, I would not have an issue with obeying this command. I do admit that all men have been given the power to choose who they will follow, and God does not go against the exercise of that freewill, but if I am a child of God, a follower of Jesus and one who wants to represent Him the right way, this has become a command. As soldiers know, disobedience to instructions is death. You are not compelled to join the Army, but once you do, you are subject to the rules and regulations of the service, because obeying directives may make the difference between life and death.
The Conclusion:
The example has been laid out for all to see and examine, and determine if it is genuine. If I have experienced it, it will be difficult to keep to myself. If my life has received the love of God, and I know that I stand where I am simply because of what He did and gave, I have no excuse not to extend the same grace to other people. In fact, as the verse above makes clear, I now have an obligation to seek the best for other people. It is by my personal example that the message of Christ will be attractive to the world. If nothing about me stands out, or is different from the standards of the world, how do I preach Christ or make Him known? If people who see me every day cannot attest to the change in me, how can my life express love the world can see? The command has been given, the right example has been laid down, and the grace and enablement required have all been supplied in abundant measure. I need to take of that grace, and just simply impact my world for Him. That is all he demands. He can take care of the rest. God's time of favour is here.
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