February 9, 2019

Update:

My pastor talked about the new commandment that Jesus mentioned in John 13:34 and 35: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Here are my notes: One aspect of Christianity is how I deal with other people. I have been asked to talk to, live with, and love people.
This commandment was a revolutionary mandate. Until that point, He has told the disciples and multiple audiences to love God, love their neighbor, and love their enemies. So who is “one another”? Those who know me and live with me and/or are very close to me, my family.

So, those who are close to me are the ones I can’t fake out. I can’t put on a mask and hide who I am for long. Who I am comes out sooner or later. Through pressure, stress, or just plain tired of holding the mask up. That is why I believe a friendship that goes through thick and thin and stay together are the ones that will last.  It is a partnership where love is at a minimum, emotion and at the maximum, action. I define true love is where I will be there for people whom I don’t care for, can’t stand, and want nothing from me.

Here is a huge realization for me. Loving God, my neighbor, my enemy implies some type of distance. I can’t see God, my neighbor goes home and I see infrequently, and my enemy is just seen as often. However, loving one another implies a permanent invasion of privacy. They see me in all my glory and rawness. They also require something from me whether it be financial, emotional, or some other type of support. Those who are at a distance away require essentially nothing for me.

So this is where it relates to my February 7 post. It is easier to take advantage of a nearby object/person because it is always nearby there and won’t go away.  Taking things for granted has always been my downfall. Since it is now there, it won’t go away.

So much more, but I will end with this. When I truly love, I will be obeying the new commandment.

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