“We are one in the Spirit, we are one in the Lord
And we pray that our unity will one day be restored.”
— They’ll Know We Are Christians
Did I just give you a childhood earworm? Are you singing that song in your head now? It kept running through my head Sunday morning while listening to the sermon.
“We will work with each other, we will work side by side
And we’ll guard each man’s dignity and save each man’s pride.”
Do you ever look around the world and wonder where all the love and unity has gone? Just a quick trip through social media will reveal all of the keyboard warriors that, based on what they write, would appear to have no heart. I think the saddest thing to me is when I see someone that I know proclaims themselves to be a Christian, yet uses that platform to shame, belittle, judge, or condemn others. The last year or two have truly been a public display of that for all to see.
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.”
— John 13:34–35
Jesus, in his own words, gave us a new commandment. The greatest commandment. A single request: to love. Love like he loved. Let’s reflect on what Jesus did to show love. He sought out the tax collector. He ate with the filthiest of sinners. He sat with and touched the lepers. He performed miracles. He washed feet. He resisted the temptations of Satan. He healed. He resurrected the dead. He carried a cross. He wore a crown of thorns. He hung on that cross. He bled and suffered. He thirsted. He died. He laid alone in a tomb. At any time, he had the power to call down the power of heaven to do those things. But he did them, and he did them to show us what love looks like. What it really looks like.
And so this week, I challenge you. With everything you say and do, everything you type on social media, are your words loving like Jesus? What would Jesus do in the situation you find yourself in? What does that new commandment require of you in your situation? As followers of Jesus, we are to reflect his love for the world to see. We are to be set apart as his disciples. And he told us what will set us apart. It isn’t our t-shirts or our bumper stickers. It isn’t the volume of notes written in our Bibles, our playlist of worship songs, or our attendance at church events. We are to be set apart by the love we have for one another. Not just Christians. We are to show love to everyone, everywhere, every day, all the time. Yes, even those we disagree with. Even those whose actions disgust us. Even those who are living in sin. Even those who vote for someone different than us. Even those who make different decisions than us. The verse has no parameters on who we are to love and not love. We are to show the world what it means to have the love of our Savior living inside of us.
Will they know you are a Christian by your words? Your actions? Your good deeds? Your Facebook posts? Your social media comments? Your donations? Orwill they know you are a Christian by your love?