We all know what the Golden Rule says. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. But few have thought the same rule extends to God too. He did for us as He would have us do for Him. How many of us are willing to give our lives for our children, or our spouses? Our mothers or fathers, our granddads or grandmas? All of us can think of someone that we would try to lay our lives down to save. Why don’t we feel the same way toward the One who laid down His life for us?
The Bible says in John 13:34 Jesus said “ A new commandment I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have Loved you, that you also love one another”. Jesus was telling us that as He was willing to lay down His life for us, we should be willing to lay down our lives for each other.We can all think of someone we would be willing to lay our lives down for, but we can also think of someone we wouldn’t help. Someone we wouldn’t give a bucket of water, if they were on fire. Can we love them too? Are we willing to lay our lives down for them? This command goes a lot further than we think.
There are many different words for love in the Greek language. The one used here is Agape, meaning without reserve or reason. To love someone not because they deserve it but just because you want too. God loved all of us not because of anything we did. God loved us just because He wanted to love His children, Just because, you might say. We are God’s children because through Jesus we have been made Holy and been able to be adopted into the family of The Lord. I am unworthy, but I AM made me worthy with His Sons blood. The Lord loved us so deeply that He was willing to give up His own son for us so we would be acceptable in God’s sight.
As Christians we are called to show the same love to those around us. Now as a good Father, The Lord has to discipline His children sometimes, or show ‘tough love’ as we call it today. This is still in keeping with God’s commandment. We only need to remember the verse 2 Timothy 4:2 which exhorts us to “ preach the word; be instant in season; out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” So we need to be ready, both when we prepare, and when we don’t, to let others know what is right, what is acceptable behavior, what is right for them to be involved in, and teach them to recognize these things themselves, but to do so in a loving and gentile manner, as in 1 Peter 3:15 where the Bible says to “ sanctify The Lord God in your hearts; and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asks you a reason of the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear.”
We all should be ready to lovingly rebuke and witness the reasons why we have a hope in Jesus. “My hope lies in nothing less, than Jesus love and righteousness.” There is a reason, for us all to hope, and we are called, as Christians, to tell the world that they can have that hope too. This fulfills the Great Commission from Jesus, to go out and tell the world about Him.
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