Show God’s Love

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you Love one another”. John 13:35 NIV

What a powerful verse that has not been understood by many Christians.

Many people were brought up and still believe that the way for people in your community, neighborhood, to see that you are a follower of Christ is by keeping certain religious rules or beliefs and habits.  Certain rules or rituals that you believe are how you show your love for God. If you keep them, people will know that you are a Christian. Then you identify the people that are not keeping the rules that you believe you got from God, as people that are outside of God’s saving grace because they are sinners and you are not.

Yet Jesus is very clearly telling you and me that the only way to truly be seen as a disciple of Him is to have unconditional love.

It is a call to identify a follower of Christ not by rules or rituals, but by unconditional love.

So, let us ask ourselves what unconditional love is?  Well, I am going to give you a definition of unconditional love that I feel God shows me every day.

“Unconditional love refers to an absolute, limitless affection that is not based on human performance, worthiness, or circumstances and is a constant, unchanging commitment to an individual’s well-being that cannot be earned. That cannot be increased or lost through their mistakes”.

Now don’t confuse unconditional love with acceptance of behavior. God disciplines those that He loves.  God allows consequences and correction to help you mature, learn and turn away from destructive habits. But this is all done in Love!

God Loved King David even though he had an affair with Bathsheba and then killed her husband.  There were consequences but God never lost His love for David. God called David a “man after God’s own heart”.  Why? Because David deeply valued God’s presence, sought His will, and possessed a genuine, repentant spirit rather than a life of perfection.

I do not earn God’s love by going to church on the Sabbath day, by not eating or drinking certain foods, by not working or doing certain things on the Sabbath, or by keeping the ten commandments. 

I do not lose God’s love by breaking any of the ten commandments or by not living my life like religion tells me I should.  

Once I understand that I cannot lose or earn God’s Love by my behavior. It makes me Love Him even more!  When I understand what unconditional love God shows me, my love for Him increases. Then and only then do I start to represent God by showing the same love to all mankind.

God is telling you that this is the only way for others to see a clear reflection of Him is to show unconditional love. Then when they see and feel that unconditional love the hardness of their heart cracks a little bit and the little mustard seed of the Holy Spirit can start to take root in their life.

Condemning someone for their behavior or lifestyle does not open their heart to the Holy Spirit. Telling someone what they are doing wrong does not change their hearts and show them God.

People were drawn to Jesus by an unseen force that drew them in. They felt loved and accepted. They were not asked to change any behavior before Jesus loved them.  After eating and drinking and listening to Jesus, He then asked them to go forth and sin no more. They were asked to repent and live a new life of Love only after they saw and experienced how much Jesus loved them.   Jesus tells us in the gospel of John that we can do even greater things that He did.

“Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father”. John 14:12 NIV

God sent the Holy Spirit to give you fruit for others to eat.  How does that fruit taste to those around you?  Sweet like God’s Love or bitter with condemnation?

Prayers and Love for all.

Larry