John the apostle is well into his years. It has been close to sixty years that he has been walking in fellowship with God at the point he writes First John. There are more than likely many memories that he has about when he was physically with Jesus. There are likely many things that he remembers Jesus saying, and yet he recalls one of the most known ideas in all of his time with Jesus – simply to love God and love one another. He writes it this way in First John chapter two verse seven:
Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning.
Some ideas never grow old, and the commandment to which John refers will last forever and ever. Paul wrote these words in the First book of Corinthians chapter thirteen and verse thirteen:
And now abides faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these [is] charity.
The greatest of all the virtues that one may obtain is love. This love is not romantic type of love but rather an “unconditional love” that is only obtainable from the Heavenly Father above. John knows the importance of loving one another in this unconditional way because we are flawed individuals. We make mistakes. We sin, and we often separate ourselves from others by our failures and imperfections. The charge from John is a reminder of the old principle of loving one another that is just as relevant today.
Now stating that one should obey this commandment is one thing, but obedience to it is quite another. We must solicit the help of Almighty God, and we do so by falling so in love with Him that He permeates our very being. The old commandment to love God and love people is manifested best when we first acknowledge it and pray that the Lord will increase our obedience in this area every day. The alternative will be seen in graphic detail in tomorrow's study.
Until tomorrow...there is more...
Look for the new devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation” in all major bookstore sites, www.amazon.com ; www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, find locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore
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