Love One Another
John 13: 34-35:
“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.”
Valentine’s Day is upon us but diving into some scriptures to inspire us to love more consistently and intentionally is something we should be reminded of often. The Bible has a lot to say about love, in particular, how to express love, care, and encouragement with our actions through kindness, patience, and humility. Jesus and His disciples spoke of these commands often, and they are mentioned as the “one anothers” throughout the New Testament. By no means is this an exhaustive list, but let us take a look at some of the verses on how we can love one another, dear readers, not just on Valentine’s Day, but every day, for the sake of the kingdom.
- Love one another (Jn 13:34, 15:12, 17; Rom 13:8; 1 Thess 3:12, 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 Jn 3:11, 4:7, 11; 2 Jn 5)
- Through love, serve one another (Gal 5:13)
- Tolerate one another in love (Ephes 4:2)
- Greet one another with a holy kiss (1 Peter 5:14)
- Be devoted to one another in love (Rom 12:10)
- Give preference to one another in honor (Rom 12:10)
- Regard one another as more important than yourselves (Phil 2:3)
- Serve one another (Gal 5:13)
- Be subject to one another (Ephes 5:21)
- Clothe yourselves in humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5)
- Bear one another’s burdens (Gal 6:2)
- Speak truth to one another (Ephes 4:25)
- Comfort one another concerning the resurrection (1 These 4:18)
- Encourage and build up one another (1 These 5:11)
- Stimulate one another to love and good deeds (Her 10:24)
- Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9)
- Be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50)
- Be of the same mind with one another (Rom 12:16, 15:5)
- Accept one another (Ro 15:7)
- Gently, patiently tolerate one another (Ep 4:2)
- Be kind, tender-hearted, and forgiving to one another (Ep 4:32)
- Bear with and forgive one another (Co 3:13)
- Seek good for one another, and don’t repay evil for evil (1 Th 5:15)
- Confess sins to one another (Jas 5:16)
In reading over the list, who might be a “one another” that God has brought to your mind today? How can you reflect His love to them?
Lord God, fill our hearts with such love that this fruit of the Spirit will be a reflection of Your love to the “one anothers” in our lives. Impress on us how we can be effective witnesses to those around us who so desperately need Your love. We ask this for the sake of Christ. Amen.
As a devoted Christ-follower, Marsha has walked this twisting, winding, bumpy road called life, giving her many opportunities to serve Him. Besides owning and managing a Tea business for twenty-two years, her focus has been to minister to women as a leader, teacher, mentor and public speaker.
At this point in her life, she has a great sense of urgency to share the love of Christ with men and women from all walks of life through the written word. She has been married for 56 years and is the mother of two married daughters and grandmother of four.
You can contact her through her Devotions For All Reasons Facebook page, the website of the same name, as well as: Tea For All Reasons, Food For All Reasons (both shared with her daughter, Jen) and England For All Reasons, shared with her husband, Jake
Yes, Loving one another is loving God and this is what Apostle Paul says about it; “….However, as it is written:
“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”—
the things God has prepared for those who love him—