Of course, Christ's commandment of love John 13:31-33, 34-35 is not new to us and then again it is always new. We've heard it before many times and yet it still continues to challenge us anew to live out in our daily lives.
Christ says that, 'I will not be with you much longer.' He is preparing his disciples for his going away but in giving his new commandment to love one another just as I love you, he is saying that his presence will always be with us because where there is love there is God. In seeing love lived out in us as his disciples of this generation others will see Christ living and active in us and know who we are and who it is we follow.
Can we allow Christ's invitation to penetrate our hearts in a fresh way today for the sake of others who need to experience Christ's love in their lives?
Listen to 'What love can do' track 6 from 'Truly Blessed'
See that man in front of you
And the woman at your side
The young girl who sits alone
And the boy who’s head is down
We don’t know the pain they carry
And we don’t know what love can do
There are smiles and conversations
To pass the time of day
and our thoughts about the weather
to have something to say
We don’t know the pain they carry
We don’t know what love can do
If we could see inside their heart
If we could understand their fear
If we could build a bridge for them to cross
We would see what love can do
We don’t know the pain inside
So let’s just say we can
And gently choose to walk beside ev’ry woman, ev’ry man
We don’t know the pain they carry
and we don’t know what love can do
At times this life is complicated
The way ahead seems dark and long
Perhaps our smile could make a diff’rence
Give some hope when hope is gone
We don’t know the pain they carry
We don’t know what love can do
And so for all those human stories
The ones too painful to expose
We can ask ourselves the question
What can love do?
Who knows?
Blessings on your week.