The Most Powerful Weapon We Possess
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
There is a particular kind of love that acts as a badge of identity. Jesus told us that the world would recognise us as His disciples not by our buildings, our budgets, or even our preaching, but by the way we love one another. This is one of the most powerful things we can do. It is a love that goes beyond polite kindness. It is a rugged, determined choice to purposely forget about ourselves and do something for someone else, even when we are hurting.
This type of love is actually a form of spiritual warfare. We are called to wage war against selfishness. When we choose to love in the face of hostility or personal pain, we are using "weapons of righteousness". We are overcoming evil with good.
Consider our Lord Jesus. When He was on the cross, in the midst of intense suffering and the agony of bearing the world's sin, He did not turn inward. He took time to comfort the thief next to Him, promising him a place in paradise. He even prayed for His executioners, displaying a lack of retaliation that went completely against human nature. His love was not a passive feeling but a deliberate action of the will to seek the good of others, even while He was dying.
We see this same power at work in the first martyr, Stephen. As he was being stoned to death, he did not scream for revenge. Instead, he fell to his knees and cried out, "Lord, do not hold this sin against them". He echoed his Master, asking for forgiveness for his persecutors rather than judgment. This was a man full of the Holy Spirit, demonstrating that the peace of Christ is stronger than the violence of the world.
Think also of Paul and Silas in Philippi. They had been beaten and thrown into prison, their feet fastened in stocks. Yet, when the earthquake opened the doors, and the jailer was about to take his own life in fear, they did not cheer for their enemy's demise. They intervened to save him. They took time to minister to the very man who had held them captive. They washed his soul with the gospel, just as he washed their physical wounds.
This is the standard set for us. Jesus called this a "new commandment" because He raised the bar: we are not just to love our neighbours as ourselves, but we are to love one another as He has loved us. This love is self-sacrificial. It is a love that gives everything.
If we walk in this kind of love, the world will begin to take notice. We will never impress the world by being just like them, engaging in the same rivalries and selfishness. But when we love, genuinely refusing to ignore, judge, or reject those who are difficult, we offer an irresistible testimony. Our unity and our care for one another are proof that the Father sent the Son.
I believe it is time to find out what God can do through us. How many unsaved friends and relatives might come to know Jesus if we loved them with this radical, self-forgetful love? Let us take up this challenge today.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for loving me to the end. You laid down Your life for me while I was still a sinner. Forgive me for the times I have been selfish, focusing on my own hurts rather than the needs of others. Teach me to wage war against selfishness. Give me the strength to love as You loved, to bless those who curse me, and to serve those around me. Let my life be a testimony of Your grace so that others may come to know You. In Your precious name, Amen.