"Love one Another"

This is a Communion meditation I penned a few years back. I hope you will glean something out of it that will enable you to love your fellow brothers and sisters in Christ even more.

"LOVE ONE ANOTHER"
By Stan Butler

In John 13:34--- Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another”. We’re all brothers and sisters here in this congregation, and that makes us a family, the family of God if you will. It’s normal for families to eat together. We have full church fellowships dinners. We have Sunday school classes that invite other classes to join them in a meal from time to time; we have the women’s circles that meet each month for a meal, “Young at Heart” outing each month for the older saints, the church board has special meals together, we have home fellowship small groups and we share food. And that’s a good thing. It creates bonds and helps us to fulfill this commandment to “Love one another”.

There’s one meal however that we all share in common every Lord’s Day; Communion. In John 6:55; Jesus said, “my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink”. Now real food and real drink makes for a real meal. And this meal is the real deal, and it’s not a value meal. It cost our Savior every drop of His precious blood.

In Mark 14:18--- Jesus while eating the Passover, instituted and was having this very meal with his disciples when he said, “one of you which eats with me shall betray me.” Seems there was a loyalty problem among them.

In Psalms 41:9---David said, (and see if you can sense the pain in his voice), “even my close friend,(pause) whom I trusted,(pause) he who shared my bread,(pause) has lifted up his heel against me.” There seems to be a loyalty problem here also.

Brethren, as we gather around the Lord’s Table this morning and commune with our Lord, and take part in this meal, let’s ask God to search our hearts, and ask him to reveal to us any ill feelings we may have toward any person in this family, any word that we may have spoke that should have remained unspoken or any thoughts that we should not have about one of our family members. Just as we’re faithful to come around the Lord’s Table, let’s be faithful and let’s be loyal to one another also.

Jesus said it and it bears repeating, “Love one another” Let us pray.

Just an added footnote: Have you ever read 1Corinthians 13:13? "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love." BUT(emphasis mine) the greatest of these is love.

Ever wondered why love is the greatest? Ponder this thought...there will be no need for faith in heaven. There will be no need for hope in heaven. But love...ah, love will remain forever and permeate heaven because God is love.