John 13:31-35

³¹ When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. ³² If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. ³³ Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ ³⁴ A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. ³⁵ By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

John 13:31-35

When Jesus was preparing his disciples for what was about to happen on the cross, he gave them a new commandment: love one another as I have loved you. This commandment was and is intended to be the identifying characteristic for those who follow Jesus, and it didn’t fizzle out or lose power over time. As Christians, we are still called to show the love of Christ; it is supposed to be what sets us apart.

Are we loving one another the way that we are supposed to? We tend to love conditionally, favoring those we like or agree with. It’s hard to love those who have wronged us. It’s easy to forget that we’re supposed to show love when we’re caught up in an argument or when issues divide us. I encourage you today to reflect on the way that you love others. At the start of new year, maybe it’s time to realign with this new commandment to love one another just as Jesus has loved us.