…I ask that we love one another. And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. –2 John 5-6
Jesus summarized the law and the prophets: love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-39).
Do you find it easier to love God than to love others? Do you see Jesus in everyone you meet? If we want to obey God, we need to love one another as much as we love ourselves. As He loves you, so must you love one another.
Jesus asked us to trust and obey when He said: “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15). When we believe in God, we put our beliefs into practice by obeying Him. The presence and power of the Holy Spirit in our lives is related to our obedience. An old hymn says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.”
Can we possibly treat everyone we meet as if they are Jesus and show compassion to them, ministering to their needs? In Matthew 25 Jesus says that when we see someone hungry and feed them, or thirsty and give them a drink, a stranger and you invite them in, or needing clothing and you clothe them, you did it for Him. That is how you obey Him—by loving others and sharing His love and grace with them.
-Jamie Barnette
