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PROGRAM D-8186

Among many others, there are five super important “one anothers” in scripture which will help our relationships thrive, and help us be more like Jesus. These “one anothers” are specifically directed to those who have been born from above—those of us who are Christ-followers.

Here is the first “one another”: Love one another.

Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Notice, this was a new command—you must love one another. You won’t find “Love one another” in the Ten Commandments. Jesus’ new command goes much deeper: we are to love one another, just like Jesus loves us.

Here’s my question: Can you force yourself to love someone? Not everyone is lovable, are they? So, how do we fulfill Jesus’ command to love one another—no exceptions? It begins with an understanding of the kind of love Jesus has, which is not based on feelings. Loving like Jesus means you make a decision to love the people in your life even if you don’t necessarily like them. We determine to do this because loving like Jesus loves is an action, not necessarily a feeling. These actions are clearly defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7:

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

You can choose to be patient and kind. You can decide not to dishonor someone, not to be easily angered. You can determine not to hold grudges or keep remembering wrongs done to you. Jesus’ love is an action you decide to take—a new path to walk—and we can love one another as Jesus loves us because we have His Spirit to empower us to do that.

Who is it in your life right now that you find troubling—not easy to like? Remember this: You don’t have to like them, but you are commanded—by Jesus—to love them with his kind of love. The good news is that through Christ, you can do this. As Christ-followers, let’s determine to love one another.