Love!

For Thursday, October 20, 2022:

1 John 4:19 GNT: “We love because God first loved us.”

Jesus declared a New Covenant with his people, an event predicted by the prophet Jeremiah. “‘The day will come,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and Judah. I will put my law in their minds, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” (Jeremiah 31:31, 33)

This New Covenant involves a total change of heart, so that God’s people are naturally pleasing to the Lord, and that requires love – loving the Lord and loving your neighbor. Surprisingly, until Jesus taught this, caring for others was uncommon. The point of Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan was that Jews were ignoring the injured traveler. That needed to change.

We should do what Jesus did and fulfill what Jesus taught. We should be nice, caring and helpful, just like our Savior. Jesus’ love for each of us is a non-negotiable plank in his platform.

Jesus taught, “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 13:34-35)

Pastor Norton Lawellin

Jesus in the City Fellowship, 3249 30th Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN 55406