Love One Another
Pull up a chair on this old front porch and breathe in the fresh morning air. Today is a beautiful blessing straight from the hand of Jesus! It’s just like your ‘ole “Aunt Polly” handing you a fresh biscuit and saying, “Now don’t you waste this day, ya hear?”
In John 13:34-35, Jesus once told His disciples, “Love one another just as I have loved you.” And He said it right after washing their dusty feet, something that would’ve made even a lazy, teenage boy blink and say, “Well golllll‑ly!” Because Jesus wasn’t offering a suggestion, He was laying down a command straight from heaven’s porch.
And this love He talked about? It wasn’t the polite, wave‑at‑your‑neighbor kind. No sir! It was the kind of love that stoops low, gives much, forgives quickly, and keeps on loving even when folks act pricklier than the cactus patch out in your grandpa’s pasture. It’s sacrificial, steady, and stubborn in the best way.
Jesus even gave the world permission to judge whether we’re truly His by how we love each other. An ‘ole haughty rooster would flap his wings and shout, “I say, that’s the proof in the puddin’, boy!” And he’d be right. Our love is the evidence, our badge, our calling card, our unmistakable mark of discipleship.
When believers love one another deeply, something holy happens. Hearts soften. Faith grows. God’s presence becomes visible in ways no sermon alone could ever accomplish. Love “becomes the soil where spiritual maturity sprouts: thirty, sixty, a hundredfold“ (Matthew 13:8-9).
And that love isn’t just for the easy folks, the ones who think like you, act like you, or never ruffle your feathers. No, ma’am! Jesus calls us to love the whole bunch: the prickly, the peculiar, the weary, the wandering, and the ones who test your sanctification before breakfast.
Father, thank You for showing perfect love through Jesus. Shape my heart to love like He loves, without condition, without fear, and without holding back. Let my words heal, my actions serve, and my presence bring peace. Make my love visible, practical, and real. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
Now step off this porch and into your day remembering this: the world will know you belong to Jesus not by your Bible knowledge, your church attendance, or your best intentions but by the way you love. So, go love boldly, generously, joyfully. Let your life preach louder than your lips. Let your love prove you’re His.
With joy,
Gwen
