By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. John 13:35 (NIV)
Love One Another – The Fruit Series – Part 1
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5 | PART 6
In some of those final sacred moments before his death, Jesus told his friends that they will be known by their love (paraphrased John 13:35).
He said: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another” (John 13:35).
That's how people will know. That's how you will know. That's how we will know:
Love.
In Matthew 7, Jesus told his friends: “By their fruit, you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them” (V16-20).
Let's fast forward to the book of Galatians where Paul wrote to his friends and said:
“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love. For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other… [and goes on to say] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Gal 5:13-15, 22-23.)
It’s not so much what we say, what list of obediences we keep, what dogma we grip onto, what kind of doctrine we profess, what we wear, what faith tradition we hold to, what community we belong to that is the “giveaway” for what kind of Jesus follower we are.
It’s in how we love.
Go to Part 2 – Good Fruit »
Written by Lizzy Milani
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if we bite and devour one another … hurling insults back and forth trying our hardest to show others how evil and perverse our neighbour is …we will most certainly start a war… we will be devoured. We are asked to bridle our tongues and show love … not by sitting idling by and doing nothing. We are asked to love our neighbour. So how can we do that? We can do something nice for our neighbour without thinking of a reward. We can think of something we like or admire about our neighbour and tell them or someone they care about what it is that we like about said neighbour. We can reach out and touch our neighbours hand. We can spend some time listening to them. We can do something with them or for them. And we can put our money where our mouth is. We can donate to something they care about or buy them a gift they would not buy for themselves.
Wow and yes and awesome and amen and so gooooood Linda! Agree with you 100% Love in the form of kindness is what we need for “world repair” more than ever!
Big hugs and much love
From Jesse (and Lizzy)