Share The Love

“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
John 13:35

Love is powerful. So powerful that Jesus rolled up the entire Ten Commandments around the principle of love.

When the religious teachers of His day pressed Jesus on which commandment was most important, He responded:

“The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’” The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these (Mark 12:29-31 NLT).”

But Christ goes on to say, “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other (John 13:34 NLT).” However, He doesn’t stop there. In Luke 6:27, Jesus takes this command a step further by saying, “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”

We’re to not only love those who are easy to love—like our friends and family—but Jesus also commands us to love the unlovable. This selfless love He’s describing can only be expressed with the supernatural help of the Holy Spirit. When we put aside our emotions and trust the healing power of the Holy Spirit to work through us for the benefit of those on the receiving end, we become a witness of God’s transformational love.

This Christmas, in addition to telling a family member or friend how much they mean to you, maybe we should also reach out to those who wouldn’t usually come to mind this time of year. 

Today’s author: Mark Henderson—Founder of The Inspired Legacy
Mark is a creative professional with more than 20 years of experience in the fields of web design and advertising. He also serves as the chief content officer at The Inspired Legacy, an online ministry dedicated to shining a light on God’s gift of parenthood. The organization aims to inspire and equip fathers to boldly lead their families, love their kids unconditionally, and leave a legacy of grown children that carry on these same traditions. Mark resides in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with his wife, Kimberly. Together, they have three children, two girls, and one boy.