Mile MarkersSýnishorn

Love

A mile marker helps travelers know where they are and tracks their progress toward their destination. As we walk the way of Christ, the first mile marker indicating we’re on the right road and making progress in the way we should grow is love.

When Jesus was here on Earth, He summed up all the commandments with a single commandment, to love one another (John 13:34). He said, “By this will all people know that you are my disciples, if you love one another!” Jesus wants us to know that love is the first spiritual mile marker on the journey with Him. As we trust in Jesus, we let go of bitterness, anger, and hatred, and we begin to show love for one another; that is a clear indication we’re walking with Christ.  

Culture tells us in so many messages, “You are the center of your world.” If we allow our self-centered desires to drive us forward, rather than love, we’ll spend a lot of time trying to get God to fulfill our plans and give us the things we crave.

In John 13:34–35, Jesus calls His commandment to “love one another” new, and it is! It’s new in the way He wants us to love one another. Jesus says we are to love one another just as He has loved us. Jesus gave us this new commandment as He was about to lay His life down for us. Love moved Jesus to do the unthinkable, to offer His own life as a sacrifice for us. 

There’s a reason God sent Jesus to die for us. It was because “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.” (John 3:16) Imagine being loved like that! Imagine loving others with a love so selfless and giving. 

Here’s some good news, when we say yes to Jesus Christ, we no longer have to live for ourselves. We can now live selflessly through Him. We can abandon our self-interests to live a life greater than ourselves and impact our world for generations to come, just as Jesus did!

What does love require of me? Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you.” He loved you and me selflessly and sacrificially. He said no to Himself in order to say yes to the Father’s assignment. I’m so grateful Jesus didn’t wait for me to love Him. He loved and pursued me first. 

Prayer: God, today, I ask you to help me love others as You have loved me. Amen.

Mile Marker 1:  LOVE — Now that I’ve experienced God’s unconditional, sacrificial love for me through Jesus Christ, I can extend that same love to others.