"By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another."
John 13:35
This is how people know whether we are disciples of Christ. This is how WE know for ourselves that we are. If we have love for each other. Thinking back over my week, I wonder how much my actions showed my dedication to God. How much evidence there really is that I am a disciple of Christ.
There is sometimes a disconnect between what we feel and how we act, and I think that this verse probably encompasses both, since having love and also showing all men are parts of it. And if we are having trouble loving people, I think we can start either way: with the feeling or with the action, as long as we are sincerely working on both and not just pretending. If we don't have the feeling, sometimes doing things for people anyway helps us find the feeling. Talking, showing kindness, learning about them. And if we have the feeling but we're not showing it, sometimes simple things show love and they don't have to be scary. Just listening to people shows that we care what they are saying, and we are willing to take time for them in our lives. Thanking people, complimenting them, or offering to get something for them when we get up to get something for ourselves. Small things show love.
Today, let's demonstrate love in our lives for the people around us. The people we already feel love for, let's work on making sure they know that. And the people that we don't... let's work on finding out more about them, taking time for them, and finding that love within ourselves. For them, and for God... because this really is the way we show all men that we are God's disciples, the way that we know ourselves, and also a way that we can show our love for God himself. By loving his children, and taking care of each other.
John 13:35
This is how people know whether we are disciples of Christ. This is how WE know for ourselves that we are. If we have love for each other. Thinking back over my week, I wonder how much my actions showed my dedication to God. How much evidence there really is that I am a disciple of Christ.
There is sometimes a disconnect between what we feel and how we act, and I think that this verse probably encompasses both, since having love and also showing all men are parts of it. And if we are having trouble loving people, I think we can start either way: with the feeling or with the action, as long as we are sincerely working on both and not just pretending. If we don't have the feeling, sometimes doing things for people anyway helps us find the feeling. Talking, showing kindness, learning about them. And if we have the feeling but we're not showing it, sometimes simple things show love and they don't have to be scary. Just listening to people shows that we care what they are saying, and we are willing to take time for them in our lives. Thanking people, complimenting them, or offering to get something for them when we get up to get something for ourselves. Small things show love.
Today, let's demonstrate love in our lives for the people around us. The people we already feel love for, let's work on making sure they know that. And the people that we don't... let's work on finding out more about them, taking time for them, and finding that love within ourselves. For them, and for God... because this really is the way we show all men that we are God's disciples, the way that we know ourselves, and also a way that we can show our love for God himself. By loving his children, and taking care of each other.
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