June 16, 2020
by Peggy Simmons
“By this all will know if you are my disciples, if you have love one for another.” John 13:35
David once owned a little white Nissan Truck. He bought it in 1988, it was a 1987 model. Our youngest son was born in 1989. David drove that truck everywhere. When we came to Greenville, David stilled owned that truck. When He finally gave it away it had over 300,000 miles on it. I kept trying to get David to call the Nissan Company to tell them about his truck. I told him that they may let him do a commercial and give you a new one. He never did.
Anyway, David drove that truck everywhere. When we lived in Lake City everyone knew David’s little white truck. They knew if he was at the church if his truck was there. I would even find him at Walmart or a restaurant because I would see his truck.
One day Joshua was gone on a mission trip and David drove Joshua’s car around. No one recognized David. No one waved at him. No one even acknowledge him because he wasn’t in his little white truck.
Now I was just thinking! Jesus told us because of our love for others we would be easy to pick out in this world. Just as David stood out in his little white truck we will stand out because we are different than other people. John 13:35 says, “By this will all know that you are my disciple, if you have love one for another.” Well that says it all doesn’t it?
How well do you stand out in a crowd? Do they recognize you because of your love? That verse doesn’t say that all church members will know you. It says “all” will know you. It is easy to be seen as loving when we are with the people that love us: our family, our friends, our church members.
But what about every day? What about when we are at the traffic light and the person in front of us doesn’t budge when it turns green? Or what about at the grocery store when the person with a full buggy cuts in front of us when we are not looking? Or at work when the co-worker that we have helped gets the promotion and the raise and we are left just where we were?
It’s not quite as easy is it? You think about this: Ephesians 4:2 says, “Be completely humble and gentle, be patient, bearing with one another in love.” Those last few words “bearing with one another in love,” is another way of saying, “Put up with one another’s quirks for the sake of love.” And don’t forget 1 John 4:11, “Friend, if God loved us that much we should also love each other.” Try putting love into practice and see if people can pick you out in the crowd. Not just so you will stand out, but so they will know that you are His disciple.
Father, thank you so much for loving us. For showing us the true way to love. And help us to put love into practice every day so that people will recognize you in us. Help them to see the difference so that you will be glorified. In Jesus name, Amen.