“ALL PEOPLE WILL KNOW!”

John 13:34-35                    (ESV)

“34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.

35 By this “ALL PEOPLE WILL KNOW” that you are MY disciples, if you have LOVE for ONE ANOTHER."”

Have you ever seen people sharing pictures of how close they are to be the stage at a concert, or a sporting event, or some other special event?  It’s as if being “up front” will allow you to hear more clearly music that is generally way too loud in the first place.  You don’t have to convince me that you had more money to spend on tickets than the rest of us, I believe you!  Your priorities are just a little different than mine.  It could be that neither of us is right and neither of us is wrong.  

But reflecting the love of CHRIST can’t be taken with such levity.  John 13:35 says “By this “ALL PEOPLE WILL KNOW” that you are MY disciples, if you have LOVE for ONE ANOTHER."  We can’t fake our LOVE for ONE ANOTHER.  There is not a doubt that I love my wife, children, and GRANDCHILDREN!  Giving my life for any of these would not be a question for me. 

But what about my enemies?  What about those who have hurt me, or worse, my family???  We are CALLED to be like JESUS, and HE gave HIS life for us, in that while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8), HE paid for our sins!  Where is it that I am supposed to seek retribution, or simply get even?  Our Creator is in Control of even the breath we breathe (Isaiah 42:5), so don’t you think that HE IS ABLE to handle people who treat us badly?  When we are treated unfairly and we don’t get our feathers ruffled, we are exemplifying the LOVE of CHRIST for ALL to SEE. What better way to testify than to be treated unjustly!

The words REFLECT has been on my heart for several months now.  JESUS CHRIST is the LIGHT OF THE WORLD, and I should Glory in the fact that I am considered worthy to be REFLECT HIS LOVE to others.  The thing is, when “ALL PEOPLE WILL KNOW” that we are Believers in CHRIST, they could ostracize us because a different spirit is controlling their lives.  JESUS CHRIST wasn’t crucified by Romans, HE was crucified by the Jewish leadership, THE CHURCH!  If they crucified JESUS, we should expect nothing less when “ALL PEOPLE WILL KNOW” that we are HIS!!!