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Today’s devotion is an excerpt from a Bible Study Series taught at Fellowship Baptist Church, titled “Biblical Building Blocks for Strengthening Relationships.”
Biblical Building Block #6 Love One Another (John 13:34-35) – PART 3 John 13:34-35, A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. In Parts One and Two of this current Biblical Building Block, we saw the importance of listening to people, offering our assistance to them, and valuing people. Everyone needs practical help. Love is something you do, not just something you say. What a picture of the family of God! Paul's partnership with the Philippians was not broken even though he was imprisoned and unable to be with them. They were still family. The word fellowship means to have in common, companionship, a relation in which parties hold something in common, familiar interaction. 4. Emulate Jesus The word "emulate" means to be like or imitate. Not only does God give us commands about loving one another, but He also gives us a marvelous example. Nothing helps us understand something like an example. Just as Jesus directed this command to His disciples, there is no question we should love one another. A key testimony of discipleship to any observer would be the love of the disciples one for another. To obey Jesus' new commandment, we must emulate His love by giving of ourselves as He did. Therefore, to love one another as the Bible commands, all we have to do is look at the example of Jesus. Furthermore, the great love chapter (I Corinthians 13) is a word picture of Jesus. The Biblical definition of love is found in I Corinthians 13:4-7. I Corinthians 13:4-7, “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.” Our text tells us love is the fulfilling of the law. If I love someone, I will keep God’s laws towards that person. Love is an evidence of salvation (I John 3:14) and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). I John 3:14, “We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.” Galatians 5:22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.” The way we should love is “as thyself”. How we treat, take care of, and handle ourselves is how we should love others. We should keep in mind that Christian love is not only a feeling, but an act of the will. That's what Jesus did when He died on the cross. He bore our sins on the cross to protect us from the consequences of our sins and from living a life without purpose. The Bible tells us God is love (I John 4:8, 16), I John 4:8, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” I John 4:16, “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” 9 Things That Love (Charity) Does
10 Descriptions of Love
3 Things That Love Is Not
7 Things That Love Does Not Do
Thank you for reading PART 3 of Biblical Building Block #6 of this series. Please visit this website tomorrow for Biblical Building Block #7. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
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AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship. Archives
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