Appointed To Bear Fruit: A 90 Day JourneySample

Sacrificial Love

Solomon wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun” (Eccl. 1:9). Yet Jesus told His disciples that He was giving them a new commandment. By “new” He didn’t mean that it was something that was never taught before. The commandment was new in the sense that it was unused or fresh. Remember, Jesus was ministering in the context of the Jewish religion that was dominated by the Pharisees. The Pharisees focused their religious observance on obeying the commands of God. For example, they prioritized the Sabbath Day and considered following this rule as a clear delineation between religious people and sinners. God gave these commands so that we could understand the heart of God, but, instead, the Pharisees focused on the literal meaning of the commands and not the spirit of the commands. They obeyed God’s commands, but did so with a cold heart towards God. They were hypocrites. 

Obeying God’s commands is the obligation of everyone who believes in Christ. Jesus gave us commands that we are expected to obey, but all cold-hearted obedience is rejected by God. Jesus never wanted external obedience alone. The gospel is all about God solving our problem of sin so we can fellowship with Him. Parents want their children to obey them because they love them. So too, in our relationship with God, we obey Him out of our love for Him because we have become children of God. 

This command is also new because the love we offer the world reflects the sacrificial love of Christ. Today, the world is experiencing a shortage of love. The kind of love the world sees is often a selfish love that doesn’t consider what’s best for others. That is not the kind of love we are to show as Christ’s disciples. The love of a disciple is based on self-denial and sacrifice. The Father loves the world so much that He gave His only Son so that we could have eternal life and not death. Jesus sacrificed Himself on the cross for us. We are sent out to model the same kind of love to the world. This means that we must be willing to sacrifice ourselves through self-denial. 

Throughout His earthly ministry, the love of Jesus was evident. On several occasions, we read that His heart was “moved by compassion” when He saw the sick, the hungry, and the shepherdless. He taught them patiently about the Kingdom of God. He died for their sins. Now we are sent to display His love to the world. Paul wrote that we are “filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24). Paul was willing to leave his community, an example of sacrificial love, to establish the faith of God’s children in other places. To further spread the Kingdom of God, every disciple will likewise need to obey the command of Jesus to love one another with the sacrificial love of Christ. With love like this, the world will see Christ and desire to worship Him.

Our love is like our name badge introducing us to the world. There is no place in our lives for anger, hatred, pride, and jealousy. These things are characteristics of the devil and not characteristics of God. God is love. The children of God inherit His character by discarding hatred and pride from their lives and loving others sacrificially. True religion is religion that loves like this. Without exception, to be Christ’s disciples, we must love one another. 

Application:  Are you obeying God out of loving gratitude for what He has done for you?