“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” – John 13:34-35
Love is the evidence of being a disciple, being a believer of Jesus. This love, agape, is the God kind of love. It’s a love that loves at all times, despite the situation, with no strings attached. Walking in this kind of love is uncomfortable. It will cause you to open up your heart, become vulnerable and require humility. The lost should be seeing this evidence in the believer through our words, actions and the way we live our lives. We should be pointing those who are lost, searching for truth, in the direction of Jesus with our lives.
YOU ARE A REPRESENTATION OF JESUS TO THE WORLD
Your life is a pulpit displaying the gospel to a world that needs Jesus. The New Living Translation of John 13:35 says “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Unfortunately, what often is displayed through those who claim to be Christians is a heavy dose of religion and condemnation. Religion will take an account of your past, but love doesn’t. Love is more concerned about the future. Those around you, those in the world, don’t need someone who can quote the words of Jesus, they need someone who walks out His words.
So how do we display more of this evidence? Simply asking God for more love seems like an obvious answer, but there’s more to it than that. Romans 5:5 tells us that God has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love. God has already given us all the love that we need! The key is to develop the love within and bring forth the evidence out of you.
LOVE IS THE FOUNDATION
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” Here, Paul mentions love first. He uses these same words in 1 Corinthians 13 to describe the God kind of love. This tells me that love is the foundation to all the other fruit. They are formed and based out of love.
Jesus tells us in John 15 how to develop this fruit. John 15:1-8, Jesus says “abide” seven times. Abide means to stay. The Wuest translation says, “maintain a living communion.” To develop the evidence of love in your life, you must remain connected to God through His Word, prayer, worship and church. You can’t abide in God while disconnecting from the things of Him. Therefore, you can’t expect to display the evidence of Jesus in you without abiding in Him.
Not abiding in God will result in a lack of fruit in your life and will leave you withered, no desire or hunger for more of God. Here is this place where so many live their lives. Withered in their relationship with the Lord, not producing fruit, claiming to represent Jesus. But the lack of evidence does not match the declaration.
“Every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” – John 15:2 NLT
The pruning season is a difficult and uncomfortable process. But it’s necessary for your development and growth so you can be a better representation of Christ. In this season, there are things that are brought to the surface that need to be removed from our lives that are not of Him. These things need to be removed so there is more room for Him, and He can produce greater evidence out of us. This process is uncomfortable, but we come out of it producing more fruit and looking more and more like Jesus. It results in Jesus using our bodies to display the gospel.
Walking out this four-letter word can be the greatest challenge-its uncomfortable! It’s uncomfortable because we are emotionally driven. You’re not going to agree with everyone in life. But you’ll always have the opportunity to walk in love. The most effective way for some to receive the gospel is to show them evidence of the gospel in you! Love breaks down barriers, allowing others to open up and step out of their comfort zone.
“Let me tell you why you are here. You’re here to be salt-seasoning that brings out the God-flavors of this earth.” – Matthew 5:13 MSG
This salt seasoning is the evidence of the love of God within you being on display. The love gives a taste of His goodness. It enhances “life” to those who are lost. Verse 14-16 goes on to say that the light within you that is on display-that is His love. We aren’t to keep this hidden within ourselves, but to put the evidence of His unconditional love on display for the world to see!
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