Jeanie Martin Ministries

Scripture: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:34-35 NIV).

Relationships are our most valuable asset but sometimes the most difficult to maintain. John 13:34-35 teaches us a new command, we must love one another as Jesus have loved us. This is the distinguishing mark of a follower of Christ. He is not suggesting that we love one another, “IT’S A NEW COMMANDMENT!”

“We love him because he first loved us. If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen? And this commandment have we from him, that he who loveth God love his brother also” – Apostle John (1^st John 4:19-21 KJV).

How can you say that you love God, who you have not seen, and not have love for your brother, who you have seen? This man is either morally blind or a conscious hypocrite. God is love, and you can’t fool him. He knows every intent of the heart and the condition of the mind. It all starts with the condition of the heart. We need to love like God loves. We must come together with one heart and one mind.

Being on one accord is not just coming together to believe in something for the moment or the occasion. It means to join together in one spirit with one heart. It’s not a surface thing; it goes much deeper than lip service. It’s actually a heart condition.

Ask yourself, “Am I walking in love?” I encourage you to study your love walk. It’s vital to your spiritual growth. Those who love like Christ will give evidence that they are disciples of Jesus Christ. Love God, love others, and love yourself (in this order). Be sure to check your spiritual fruit; (Gal. 5:22-23). You won’t know the growth level of your love until someone squeezes your fruit really hard. So, make it your business to love others intentionally. That’s the way love grows!

TEN WAYS TO LOVE

1. Love God first – “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength”; (Prov. 3:6; Mark 12:30; Matt. 22:37).
2. Speak without accusing –  My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires (James 1:19).
3. Give sparingly – All day long, he craved for more, but the righteous give without sparing (Prov. 21:26).
4. Pray without ceasing – Pray for others; pray for your neighbors. Pray continually (1st Thess. 517).
5. Answer without arguing – Better a dry crust with peace and quiet than a house full of feasting with strife (Prov. 17:1).
6. Share without pretending – Speaking the truth in love, and we will grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ (Eph. 4:15).
7. Enjoy without complaint – Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation, in which you shine like stars in the universe as you hold out the word of life, so that I may boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing (Phil. 2:14).
8. Trust without wavering – It always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres (1st Cor. 13:7).
9. Forgive without punishing – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you (Col. 3:13).
10. Promise without forgetting – Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled, is a tree of life (Prov. 13:12).