By this...

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” Jn 13:34-35

Ever wonder why it is by loving one another that we will be known as His disciples? I do. I wonder out of all the things that we could be known for, why love for one another? Why not preaching, or witnessing, or the manner in which we present ourselves to others? Why not on church attendance, or devotion time, or prayer time? Why loving one another?

I think I have at least a partial answer.

Every now and again, I sit back and just watch people carry on in their normal fashion. Just observe the way they interact and carry on. One thing becomes abundantly clear very quickly. We are not a very 'love one another' king of people. More often then not, we are a very self centered, narcissistic people who can barely get out of our own way long enough to realize that there are other people in our lives.

Normally, we carry on with the attitude of getting one over on someone, or putting someone else down in order to make ourselves look or feel better. Our relationships with people are motivated on what that other person can bring into our life, our how can they make our life easier.

So rare is it to find someone who just cares.

Have you ever seen someone being compassionate toward another person and didn't immediately bash that person? The guy on the TV asking you to help feed the hungry children in some third world country, or people who pack up stuff and go to impoverished places to help out how they can, or the person who hands $5 dollars to the guy on the side of the road who is holding his sign?

It's easy to sit. It's hard to walk. Christ called us to love one another, just as He loved us, so much so, that He gave up everything, including His life, to bring us back to Himself. If we are to be true followers of Christ, then shouldn't we love each other with that very same compassion and zeal? Shouldn't we look over the abundance of justification that we have and forgive the wrongs that others have done to us, to get out of our own way, and just to love one another?

Shouldn't we really be more Christlike?