Today's Passage - John 15:11-12

River of Life Christian Church ︳www.rolcc.net/english John 15:11-12   "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."   The Lord says here, "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you." First of all, we need to understand the Lord's love is a self-denying love. He came in the flesh to the world, giving up the right to enjoy the glory and honor in heaven. He came to earth to preach the gospel to the poor, giving up the right to enjoy the comforts on earth. He washed the disciples' feet, giving up the rightful status he should have as the teacher. He faced trial before Pontius Pilate, giving up the right to defend himself. He was nailed to the cross, giving up his own life. Thus, Paul says in Galatians 2:20, "He loved me and gave himself for me."    The Lord's command is to love each other just as he had loved us. In other words, the Lord uses the self-denying love to love us, so we should use the self-denying love to love each other. Have you loved your brothers and sisters in the church with a self-denying love? When your brothers and sisters have physical needs, are you willing to give up your own comforts to support and help them? When you and your brothers and sisters have a difference of opinion, are you willing to give up the right to insist on your own opinion and learn to accept each other?    The Bible tells us to love each other, but this is never just in words. In a parable of Matthew 25, Jesus says some people will come before him and he will say to them, "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; ... For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me." Then these people will ask him, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?" The Lord will reply, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." No wonder John writes in 1 John 3:18, "Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth."    Brothers and sisters, are you willing to love the family of God with this kind of self-denying love? May God help us to look at our brothers and sisters from God's view point. May we love and accept each other in the church with God's love. When we accept each other, everyone will recognize we are the Lord's disciples. In other words, if we do not love each other in this way, everyone will not recognize we are the Lord's disciples. No wonder there are so many who linger outside the doors of the church, not willing to come in because they do not see this kind of glorious testimony. May God help us!                                   Pray with Pastor Tong           Dear Lord, I thank you. We love because you first loved us. I ask you to use the self-denying love to melt my heart, so that I am willing to join together with my brothers and sisters to be a good witness for you. I thank you and I pray in the victorious name of Jesus, Amen!