Your heart’s desire is to become more and more like Jesus. You read your Bible on a regular basis but feel like you are lightyears from being like Jesus. As you go to church each Sunday, you listen intently and try your hardest to live the truth you hear to be like Jesus. Here again, you feel as though you fall drastically short of being like your Savior.
I have good news. When you love others, you are being the kind of Christian that the Lord wants you to be. “My true love brought me flowers tonight, and I’m all smiles and song, I guess I am doing something right—or he’s done something wrong” (Maureen Cannon). Ha! Ha! Love is not love until it is given away. As you love others, Jesus’ love is showing through you.
Jesus is discussing with His disciples the necessity of Him returning to the Father in heaven. After those words, Jesus says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). Jesus commands believers to have love for each other. But how are you to love your brother/sister Christian? The same way that Jesus loved His disciples. As you study the life of Jesus, you will see how He responded to life situations with the disciples in a loving manner. This love that Christians have for each other will be evidence to the world “that you are My disciples.”
Scripture mandates that Christians first love one another, but then it also teaches that believers are to love the unsaved person. This love that Christians show toward others is exactly what turned the 1st century pagans to become followers of Christ.
So, to be like Jesus means that you are to spread a little love around. By showing others love you are like Jesus!
