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

The Bible gives us 59 “one another” commands. Notice I didn’t say suggestions. These “one another’s” are stated in imperative form, which means they are not optional to a believer. We can’t even be choosy about who we love. Jesus told us we must even love our enemies (Matthew 5:44). Radical!  Therefore, it is essential for us to know what these commands are and how to obey.

Sixteen of the commands are some version of “love one another.”

• Five of these commands were stated by Jesus and recorded by John (John 13:34 (twice), 35; John 15:12; 17).
• Six were written by John in two of his letters (1 John 3:11, 23; 1 John 4:7,11,12; 2 John 5).
• In addition, Peter tells us to “love each other deeply, from the heart” (1 Peter 3:8) and once again ”to love each other deeply” (1 Peter 4:8).
• Paul tells the Romans to “love one another” (Romans 13:8)
• And Paul tells the Thessalonians to “make your love increase and overflow for each other” (1 Thessalonians 3:12) and to “love each other” (1 Thessalonians 4:9). 

1 John 4:8 tells us that “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” Since God is love, then when we love one another we are doing what we can to be the hands and feet of God in whatever the circumstance. This is a powerful charge He has given to us, and one that is impossible to carry out fully and consistently without the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. And truly, loving one another is our most effective testimony. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:35).

It just seems like there is so much discord and hate right now in our world. I’m sure that there have been times in history to rival these—times of war and strife—but without question it is bad right now. We experience different approaches to dealing with the discord and hate, from ignoring it hoping it will go away to being on the forefront of the fight, and everything in between. Many of us are trying to learn and understand what the causes are and what the solutions might be. Many of us are trying to understand our own role in the problem and our own role in the solution.

In the Women’s Campus Bible Study, we are studying the book of Esther, and Mordecai’s response to her in Esther 4:14 “you have come to your position for such a time as this” probably rings true for many of us. But what can we do? I know that many intelligent and compassionate and passionate people have given their lives to this question. I don’t have all the answers, or hardly any. But I know we cannot go wrong by remembering what the Bible has to say about love in action. We can’t interact with one other in truly healthy ways without loving each other. And we can’t love each other without always being proactive to reach out, walk with, encourage, protect, and support our fellow man. It takes bearing with one another and standing up for one another.

For example, the Good Samaritan went out of his way to rescue the Jewish traveler who was robbed and beaten by thieves. A Priest and a Levite had already passed by. You might not think the Priest and Levite were bad people. After all, they didn’t beat or rob the traveler. They just didn’t want to get involved. Maybe they had reasons—maybe they were late for a church meeting, or maybe they forgot their money belt, so they didn’t have a way to help. Maybe they feared stopping thinking the robbers might return. Whatever the reason, they hurriedly passed on by, leaving the traveler where he lay.

Jesus told this parable to answer the question of who to love. The Jewish leaders had challenged Jesus to identify the greatest commandment, and Jesus, in Matthew 22:37-39 quoted from Deuteronomy 6:5 to tell them that loving God was the greatest commandment, but the close second (from Leviticus 19:18) was to love your neighbor as yourself. The leaders then wanted an exact definition of “neighbor.” So, by telling this parable, Jesus explained that “who to love” is anyone we come in proximity with, regardless of whether they are in our circle of family and friends. In fact, Jesus made a point of using an example of people who were not family and friends because they were from ethnically different with a history of animosity toward each other.

However, I propose that this story also tells us how to love. The Good Samaritan went out of his way to see to this injured stranger; he cared for this stranger with all diligence and urgency, just like he would have cared for his own family, and just like he would have wanted to be cared for himself.

Jesus himself was our role model for how to love. He loved with humility and compassion. He was accessible. His words were healing, they were edifying, full of truth and grace.

As a Mission employee, you have taken the proactive step of loving your neighbor by serving the people who seek the ministries of Nashville Rescue Mission. While there will always be room for improvement, I believe we are like-minded in our pursuit of the mission of the Mission: “Providing hope for today, hope for tomorrow, and hope for eternity to the hungry, hurting, and homeless” by loving our neighbors, especially those who are destitute, poor, and needy.

In the weeks to come, we will look at some of the other “one another” commands, but in a way, every other “one another” command is derived from Jesus’ basic command: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” It’s as simple, and as life-changing, as that.

In Christ,

Judy

Most of us have many acquaintances—those people who acknowledge us, who are friendly, who might even help or go to bat for us. It’s nice to have acquaintances. Most of us have fewer friends. You know the difference, although it might be difficult to put into words because it’s typically individualized. It’s typically something that is experienced. It’s that person who really does pray for you, and who then follows up to see how you are doing and what they can do, and you know they genuinely care. It’s that person who wants to know how that trip turned out, how that dreaded interaction turned out, who wants to share their life with you and assumes you are as interested in them as they are in you. In fact, you know that their actions are out of a genuine love and concern for you rather than how it makes them look in yours or anyone else’s eyes. A friend is someone who has accepted you into their life, and you know how that feels. It feels like family, or how we think family ought to feel. Honestly, I can’t think of many better things than that feeling of being accepted. I hope that when you read this, you will reflect on those relationships, whether it be family, friends, or coworkers, with whom you have that sense of acceptance.

There’s another element to the friendship relationship—receiving. It’s not true friendship unless both receive each other’s expressions of friendship. Relationship is a two-way street.  It’s a sharing of hearts and it is love. It’s a wonderful thing that God has given us—these relationships with people with whom we share life. It’s a wonderful thing that God has given us—to be accepted, and to receive that acceptance. Receiving is not casual, it is not passive. Receiving is an active expression and reciprocation of friendship, love, compassion, and life together. We don’t do these things in order to gain friendship, but because we are friends.

I say all this to then compare it to our relationship with Christ. Christ has accepted you. He loves you and me and cares for each of us in the way that is most appropriate for each of us personally. However, the relationship does not work unless we receive what he has to offer.

The Bible has much to say about receiving what Christ has to offer. For example, in the parable of the sower in Mark 4:1-20, what sets the four soils apart is their receptivity. The first three soils do not produce a harvest because they did not truly receive the seed, or message.  “But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word, welcome it, and produce a crop: 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown” (Mark 1:20).

This parable reminds me of a story I once heard:

“A young man was getting ready to graduate from college. For many months he had admired a beautiful sports car in a dealer’s showroom, and knowing his father could well afford it, he told him that was all he wanted. As Graduation Day approached, the young man awaited signs that his father had purchased the car. Finally, on the morning of his graduation, his father called him into his private study. His father told him how proud he was to have such a fine son, and told him how much he loved him. He handed his son a beautifully wrapped gift box. Curious, and somewhat disappointed, the young man opened the box and found a lovely, leather-bound Bible, with the young man’s name embossed in gold. Angry, he rose his voice to his father and said “with all your money, you give me a Bible?” and stormed out of the house.

Many years passed and the young man was very successful in business. He had a beautiful home and wonderful family, but realized his father was very old, and thought perhaps he should go to him. He had not seen him since that graduation day. Before he could make arrangements, he received a telegram telling him his father had passed away, and willed all of his possessions to his son. He needed to come home immediately and take care of things.

When he arrived at his father’s house, sudden sadness and regret filled his heart. He began to search through his father’s important papers and saw the still gift-wrapped Bible, just as he had left it years ago. With tears, he opened the Bible and began to turn the pages. His father had carefully underlined a verse, Matt. 7:11, “And if ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Heavenly Father which is in Heaven, give to those who ask Him?” As he read those words, a car key dropped from the back of the Bible. It had a tag with the dealer’s name, the same dealer who had the sports car he had desired. On the tag was the date of his graduation, and the words PAID IN FULL.”

“We have also received an inheritance in Him, predestined according to the purpose of the One who works out everything in agreement with the decision of His will….” (Ephesians 1:11).

“Listen! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and have dinner with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

“For everyone who asks receives, and the one who searches finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:8).

“But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name….” (John 1:12).

So many of us are givers, and as givers, we have difficulty receiving. We say, “No, you don’t have to do that.” Or, “No, it’s not necessary, I don’t need anything.” Or “Here, let me do that for you instead.” We have been taught that it’s better to give than to receive. Well, that is biblical, but it doesn’t apply to our relationship with Christ. He is the giver of all good gifts, but those gifts are only good if we receive them. We must receive them to be in relationship with Him.

You have been accepted by Christ. He is offering us good gifts. It might not look like it, but what He has to offer is more lavish, beautiful, generous, and awe-inspiring that we can even imagine. That is what takes faith—to overcome our limited earthly knowledge and experiences to believe what He has promised, and to believe that it is abundantly more and better than we could ever imagine. You are so loved!!! Just open the door, just say “yes” to receive Him, and then live like you believe it.

In Christ,

Judy

We know Hebrews 11 as the Hall of Fame of Faith because of the faithful people who are listed and described. “All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)

If you know me well, you know I love to travel. Maybe it’s because we never went further than the next county when I was a child, and that’s not an exaggeration.  Now my husband says my middle name is “Go.” I guess that’s why I loved the theme of “journey” in the Songs of Ascent that we have just finished.

One likely reason I also enjoy travel is because I have never had to permanently leave my home. As much as I love to travel, I also love to come home. But what about travelers who do not have a home to return to? I think about many travelers in the Bible who were called, or forced, to travel, and what that must have been like.

• Abraham’s people lived in Ur of the Chaldees, but God said, this is not your home. You must travel to a land I will give to you. “So, Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.  He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. (Genesis 12:4-5).

• After Jacob and his family went to Egypt to find food during a famine, they and their descendants ended up living in Egypt for 400 years.  Then God said, this is not your home. You must return to the Promised Land. And He raised up a leader, Moses, to lead them back home to the Promised Land. “By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.” (Exodus 13:21-22).

• Years later after being defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, Jews were transported in waves from Judah, exiled to Babylon. And seventy years later they returned to Judah under the leadership of Ezra to rebuild the temple and reclaim their home. “This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place.  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29:10-11)

• Jesus traveled quite a bit, even before the age of three. Joseph and Mary traveled from their home to Bethlehem at the command of Herod to be taxed (and to fulfil the prophecy). They then escaped to Egypt, and later returned to Nazareth to make their home.

The reason the metaphor of travel is useful is to convey the message that none of us are standing still. We are moving—forward, backward, or side to side, but we are moving. Every step we take without the leadership of Christ is a step backward, even if it seems to be forward, because we are moving away from Him. We absolutely know that we will not live forever, and we know that when we die, we have a destination.  As much as we may love our life, we as believers know that this world is not our home. We are “marching to Zion.” And sometimes these days it is a relief to know that this world is not our home, right?

The following is a great story. I have seen it several times, and this one is quoted from Jill Briscoe’s website:

I heard a true story about an elderly missionary couple who had spent their entire adult lives on the mission field.  They had paid a heavy price with regard to their health and their family, but they stayed the course.  The time came for retirement.  It was in the days when missionaries went away and returned by boat.

When they had left England at the beginning of their missionary career, the platform at Euston Station had been packed with friends and church people, who gave them a grand send-off.  A band played hymns and the group of believers prayed and sent them on their way with flags flying.  It was a fabulous memory.  Now they were sailing home after a lifetime of faithful work.

There was a celebrity on board, and when the boat came into the harbor, they could see that the dockside was crowded with people.  Banners were flying, and the band was playing.  They watched as the gangplank was lowered, searching the crowd for the mission welcoming committee.  The celebrity was welcomed with due pomp and circumstance, and then it was over, and the rest of the passenger’s began to disembark.  Still the two old servants of the Lord searched the dock.  They didn’t see one familiar face.

Unfortunately, the dates had gotten mixed up, and the reception had been mistakenly set for the following day.  Of course, the two old-timers had no way of knowing this.  So there they were, standing alone on the dockside with their trunks and all their worldly goods.  They sat on their trunks and cried.  They had come home to this?  As they sat there holding onto each other, bewildered and hurt beyond measure, the husband said, “Let’s be quiet and try to hear what God is saying.”  So they held each other right and stood in the Lord’s presence on the quayside, oblivious of the activity around them.  The old man opened his eyes, and they were shining.  “Darling,” he said, “God spoke to me.  He told me, ‘You’re not home yet.’”

They began to laugh—a great, glad, joy-laugh.  It wasn’t over yet.  There was still time to serve the Lord.  There were people to encourage and candidates to train and send out in their place.  One day the band would be out, and the Lord would be on the quayside of heaven to welcome them home—but not yet, and not now.  They picked up their things and set off for the train station, light of heart, to finish their journey to the village where they would live.

Some take-aways:

1. We are not home yet, so let’s keep working for the Kingdom, until the King brings us home. Let’s not get too comfortable here. Keep your lamps lit and be ready. (Matthew 25:1-13).
2. As good as it is here, or as bad, this is only a temporary.  Rick Warren says life is a test, a trust, and a temporary assignment. And eternal life with our Father in Heaven will more glorious than any of us could ever imagine. It’s what we look forward to as we faithfully journey toward our heavenly home.

“Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul. Live an exemplary life among the natives so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when he arrives.” 1 Peter 2:11-12 (The Message)

In Christ,

Judy

Seven weeks ago, we started on a pilgrimage through the Songs of Ascent, Psalms 120-134. I encourage you to read these Psalms. They are each short, but so full of meaning. First, we looked at Psalms 120 and 121, which focus on the starting point of our journey and the importance of our focus on the destination. The following week we emphasized the need for protection from our enemies along the way. Then we focused on traveling together in unity. The next two devotions were on “givers” and “takers”, then comfort and hope. Last week we talked about road conditions, and emphasized that God gives us strength for each challenge. Today’s devotional, the final one in this series, speaks to a crucial element of our pilgrimage through this earthly life toward our ultimate destination in the Kingdom of Heaven. That crucial element is the church.

Psalm 122 is labeled “A Prayer for Jerusalem,” and it starts out with a familiar verse, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the LORD.’” Can you imagine how it must have felt to the Jews who lived outside of Jerusalem to actually enter the gates of the city for the annual festival celebrations? To get to Jerusalem, they had probably experienced an uncomfortable journey on foot, sleeping outdoors, sacrificing their livelihoods when on the journey (no paid vacation for them). But they were making the journey out of obedience to God when he commanded them to celebrate (Leviticus 23) and because back in that day, God resided in the temple so that is where they went to experience God (2 Chronicles 5:11-14). What joy as they entered the gates of the Holy City, laid eyes on the temple, and celebrated together their deliverance, God’s provision, and God’s ongoing protection. I imagine that they also enjoyed the fellowship of being with each other, kind of like the old “dinners on the ground” if you ever had the privilege of going to one of those.

Psalm 122:3 describes Jerusalem as a “well-built city, knit together as a single unit.” That is how David and Solomon intended, and for a time, it was just that. However, we know that subsequent kings did not follow God; the city was overtaken and the temple destroyed. Jesus worshipped at a rebuilt temple in a city that was ruled by Rome, and after that the temple was again destroyed. In the present day, Jerusalem is anything but a single unit. In fact, it is divided between the Jews, Christians, and Muslims. And it is anything but peaceful.

As Christ-followers in this day and time, we long for the New Jerusalem as described in Revelation 21:1-3. Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.’”

Notice how the New Jerusalem is “prepared as a bride”. Jesus is referred to as the bridegroom in Matthew 9:15. And in Revelation 19:6-9, we read about what happens when Christ, the bridegroom, returns for his bride:

“Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: ‘Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. 7 Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. 8 Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) 9 Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”

Through these passages and the one below, we see that as believers, we are the church, and the church is the bride of Christ, the New Jerusalem to be united with Christ, the bridegroom, in eternal life.

“…just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless” (Ephesians 5:25-27).

Just as the Jews obediently and expectantly made their pilgrimage to the Holy City of Jerusalem, as believers, we make a similar pilgrimage, obediently and expectantly, toward our ultimate destination. Thankfully, we don’t have to make this pilgrimage alone. We, the church, have the church to support us, love us, teach us, and to lift us up when we experience hard times. In truth, we are commanded to be the church, and the reality is that the church is our greatest asset besides the Holy Spirit to help us in our journey to maturity in the faith. Composed of imperfect humans, the church probably won’t be all things to all people. It might disappoint from time to time, but as believers, we must be obedient to this command, and the reward of being presented with Christ, holy and blameless on the great Day of the Lord, make it worth all the effort.

I know that some of you have been disillusioned by church. I know that some of you work on Sunday so it’s difficult to attend worship. I know that some of you think of the Mission as your church. And during this pandemic, it has become easier to disassociate from church because of social distancing. However, brothers and sisters, I implore you to work through these challenges and find yourselves a church home. Yes, as believers, we are part of the universal church. But the institution of the local Church has been given to us for our benefit, and you are missing out of some of the greatest earthly blessings of the faith by not participating. My sincerest hope is that you will experience the same joy in worshipping and receiving the Word of God from your local church that the Jews experienced when they attended their festival celebrations in Jerusalem.

“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day” (Hebrews 10:24-25).

In Christ,

Judy

P.S. If you are a member of a church, please feel free to give a shout out to your church in the comment section.