A New Commandment

His Word says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, If you have love for one another”. For the majority of us this isn’t new in that we have heard this scripture for many years. Yet, I would suggest it is absolutely new to most in that it is not a commandment that is obeyed. An important point in His statement is He identifies how we are to love one another. He says that we are to love one another as He has. This is where we fail most miserably. Instead of relying on how God loves us as our standard as He commanded we use our feelings or un-renewed minds which change continuously. Perhaps because of ignorance and/or error in teachings we qualify and distinguish ourselves not understanding His love. By this I mean not understanding the chastening and pruning of God which isn’t necessarily pleasant as God’s love. Or even the reaping of the bad seeds that have been sown as the love of God. Yet, when you know His Word and understand His ways even His rebuke demonstrates His love for you. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten; be zealous therefore and repent.  

Dearly beloved, we all have many things in common; however, for the sake of this writing I distinguish two of them. One, we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and need a Savior and Redeemer, and second we are all man made of dust by our glorious God. He in His wisdom had mercy on us and reconciled us to our Father. Not because of our value or worth but because of His greatness. God so mighty and pure dwells within earthen vessels, which we are if you have called upon His Holy Name, and are sealed by His Spirit. How is then that we can not remember our own weakness and have mercy upon our fellow brethren? How is it that we can’t remember the great love with He has loved us? His Word says, “For judgment is without mercy, to the one that shows no mercy, for mercy triumphs over judgment.”

I encourage you today to take God’s Word and arm yourselves against anything that would suggest that you can be justified in your reasoning for not loving your brethren as He has loved you. The carnal mind quickly begins to remind of all that they did to you. Yet, what have you done? Has God had mercy and forgiven you? Did you have to sit down and discuss at length, be heard, get your point across? No, I think not. At least with me, I look into the perfect law of liberty and see my iniquity, know, repent by turning away and ask God for forgiveness and press on. We need each other brethren and all the more as the day approaches. Therefore I say, love one another!

Again, He says, “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy”.