“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34-35

How will men know that we are Yeshua’s disciples?  They will know that we are His disciples by our love for one another. This is not human love which is selfish. It is the God kind of love which gives.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that who so ever believes in Him shall have everlasting life. John 3:16

We seem to have forgotten that this is a commandment and this is the one that Yeshua told us would distinguish us as His disciples.

Notice that Yeshua did not say we would be known as His disciples by our knowledge of the different levels of Torah study or by knowing the correct pronunciation of His Name or the shape of the earth or the form of baptism or any of the other things that we argue and split over. He said we would be known as His disciples by our love for one another.

HaSatan and our pride and desire to be “right” has distracted us by keeping our focus on minor things while we miss the major things. There is a whole generation of people that are dying and going to hell because they do not know Yeshua, our Saviour and Redeemer. Their lives are miserable and they see no way to change.

We all want to be pleasing to the Father by correctly walk out our faith but we can do the outward things perfectly and still be wrong if we are operating outside of love. That’s the point Yeshua was trying to get across to the Scribes and Pharisees.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cumin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. Matt. 23:23

Tertullian, c. 155 – c. 240,  an early Christian author, remarks in his 2nd century defense of Christians that Christian love attracted pagan notice: "What marks us in the eyes of our enemies is our loving kindness.’Only look,' they say, 'look how they love one another' "

How are we to love one another? We are to love one another as Yeshua loved us.

How did He love us? Yeshua loved us so much that He came and gave His life for us that we might live, spiritually live, (be born again ) while we were still His enemies and unlovely. He rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and translated us into His Kingdom of light where HaSatan has no rule over us. Yeshua is now or King our Lord.

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only this, but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation. Romans 5:6-11

Did you know we have been given the ministry of reconciliation..not condemnation…not separation?? Most sinners know they are sinners. They just do not know how to be anything else and that is what the good news is all about. I used to sit in the Catholic Church and ask God “What’s so good about the good news? My life was a mess but God heard that question and the call of my heart and answered. He revealed Himself to me and set me free. He saved me and filled me with His Holy Spirit. He told me I had many problems but He would lead me out of them all…and He Has !!…I am a new creature.

 Behold, if anyone is in Messiah, He is a new creature, old things have passed away and all things have become new. 2 Cor. 5:17

The first thing God taught me was about love and forgiveness.

If He loved us when we were still sinners and His enemy, would He love us any less since we have become His children? No !! A thousand time no!!

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us that we would be called children of God; and that is what we are. 1 John 3:1

Yeshua teaches us to love in the same way.

 “But I say to you who hear (shema- hear, understand and do) love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. Whoever hits you on the cheek, offer him the other also; and whoever takes away your coat, do not withhold your shirt from him either. Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. Treat others the same way you want them to treat you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners in order to receive back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He Himself is kind to ungrateful and evil men. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” Luke 6:27-36

This is exactly how He loved us…

How can we do this?  By the love of God, the God kind of love, that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which has been given to us.
Romans 5:5

 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that the one who loves God should love his brother also. 1 John 4:20-21

The love of God can grow in us for it is a fruit.  Love is the first fruit of the born again human spirit.

 But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. 
Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.  Gal. 5 :22-24    

   “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.  Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another” John 15:1-17

We are to let the fruit of God’s love that is planted in our spirits grow and dominate our flesh. The fruit of love will be in our actions and in our conduct and our words will be born of love. The days of hating, of jealousy or bitterness and back- biting are past. Every step out of love is sin. Not walking in Yeshua's commandment of LOVE makes us ineffective for the Kingdom of God and hinders our prayers.

 

Walking in love should start first in the home and it seems to be the hardest place to walk in love. There should be 2 bears in every home.. “bear and forbear”.
“bear” supports ..“forbear” refrains from doing something…

What are the characteristics of Love?

Love’s characteristics are listed in 1 Cor. 13:4-8.   
This is the Amplified Bible version.

Love endures long and is patient and kind.
(***Human love “Phileo” endures long but is not patient and kind.)

Love is never envious nor boils over with jealousy.

It is neither boastful nor vainglorious.

Love does not display itself haughtily.

Love is not conceited, arrogant or inflated with pride.

Love is not rude or unmannerly and does not act unbecomingly.    

Love does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self seeking.
(Love does not seek what belongs to another…selfishness is eliminated)

Love is not touchy, fretful or resentful

Love takes no account of the evil done to it. It pays no attention to a suffered wrong. (*** this verse is love’s thermometer..the love gauge..if you take account
of wrong done to you then you are not walking in love. What God forgives He fogets. Love has no memory of old offenses.)

Love does not rejoice with injustice but rejoices with the truth.
(It takes no pleasure in sin or in the thing that injures another. It’s joy is the truth)

Love bears up under anything and everything that comes.
(It bears all things…never repeats scandal.. does not remember past unkindness.
Love is ever ready to believe the best of every person
(We believe in the people we love)

Love’s hopes are fadeless under all circumstances and it endures everything without weakening.
(Love remains immovable & steadfast always abounding in good works.)

Love Never fails..Love never fades out. Love becomes obsolete,
Love never comes to an end.     1 Cor. 13:4-8

If you feel you fall short in the “Love walk” Write this scripture on a note card and say it to yourself every day. You will be amazed at how it will change you.

We are born again with a new nature...the nature of God.

Whoever keeps His word, in him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him: the one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:5

God’s love is perfect love let it be perfected in us.