Thought of the Day !!

     "My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
     "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 13:33-35 (TNIV)

Jesus tells the disciples that he must go away, and that where he is going, they cannot go.  He had already told this to the Jews, which in the Gospel of John actually means the Jewish leaders.  And now he is telling his followers.

This had to be hard to hear.  Peter was probably not the only one thinking that he would follow Jesus to the death.  Others were probably thinking "well, why not.  Why can't we follow you?"  For some it probably seemed as if they had followed for so long, that they wouldn't know what to do if Jesus left them.  They left their jobs, which were probably being done by someone else by now.  Their lives had been left behind.  Bridges may have been burned.  Who knows?  But the one thing that they knew was that they didn't want Jesus to leave them.  

This would've been a lump in your throat, gut wrenching time for these disciples.  But in the midst of this time of anxiety and doubt, Jesus teaches.  As so often was the case, Jesus taught them when they needed it the most.  

Jesus had been glorified.  He was going to be glorified on the cross.  And he was leaving.  What that left the followers with was each other.  They were called to take up with each other right where Jesus would leave off.  They were to love one another.  And not only love each other, but more importantly, love each other as Jesus loved them.  And others would know that they were true disciples of Jesus by their love for one another.  

So our call today is to go out and love one another, just as Jesus has loved us.  Jesus loved us so much that he was willing to go to the cross and give up his life for us.  Now this call of love doesn't mean that we'll all become martyrs and die for our faith.  It does mean, however, that we'll give up our own sense of ego (or our own self) and foster a sense of community, loving each other as we love ourselves.  How we love, and show our love, is the sign of our faithfulness.

So Jesus is calling us this day to show our faithfulness by loving each other just as he has loved, is loving and will always continue to love us.  

In the LOVE of Christ,
greg