Galatians 6:2

Galatians 6:2 - Carry each others burden, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ. What is the law of Christ? When asked what the greatest commandment was Jesus said, “Love the Lord your God.” He then continued by saying, “The second is like it, Love your neighbor as yourself.” Later Jesus was asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:29) Jesus did not answer this question directly, but told a story of a man who was traveling and got attacked by robbers. These robbers took everything from the man and left him on the side of the road beaten and bloody. A series of men walked by, most of whom avoided this man and walked by on the opposite side of the road. It wasn't until a Samaritan man came by that this man received any sort of help. Now you have to understand that in the eyes of the Jews Samaritans were like dogs. And this ‘dog’ was the only one who helped the dying man on the side of the road. After tending to his wounds the Samaritan carried this man to a nearby Inn and paid for him to stay there until he got better. Now Jesus returns the question, “Who was a neighbor to the man who fell among robbers?” “The Samaritan man,” they answered. Then Jesus left them with a simple, but powerful statement, ”Go and do likewise.” That is how you fulfill the law of Christ. “Go and do likewise.” If you see anyone who needs help follow the example of the Samaritan in Jesus story and help them. We are to carry each others burdens. Do you see someone hurting? Is there someone close to you that needs help? Of course there is. To deny it would be living in ignorance. It doesn’t take a detective to find someone who could use your help. There are people all around us. And here’s the beauty of it: it doesn't take much. God will never ask you to give what you do not have. Sometimes it is just befriending someone and talking to them. Other times it may be an act of service or a gift of money. Whatever it is, don’t hesitate to give it. As you follow God’s commands and give to those around you He will always take care of you as well. Paul says that God gives seed to the sower and bread for food (2 Corinthians 9:10). You can rest assured that God has given you what you need and given you what you need to give away. So, carry each others burdens. Help out those around you who are less fortunate than you. And in doing so you will be fulfilling the law of Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:13

1 Corinthians 8:13 - Therefore, if what I eat causes my brother to fall into sin, I will never eat meat again, so that I will not cause him to fall.

Paul uses the example of food to make a point about how we should act towards our brothers and sisters in Christ. He says that if his eating meat causes others to fall he will never eat meat again. The well being of others was more important to him than taking care of his own wants.
We are selfish by nature and it is natural to want to enjoy the pleasures of life. Enjoying these things is not wrong, but when it is at the expense of those around you it becomes a problem.
Jesus commanded us to Love one another. To Love someone is to want the best for them. If we are not taking into consideration those around us when we choose to do something then we are not truly Loving them.
Paul speaks of the freedom that we have in Christ. He says, “All things are permissible for me,” which is true, but we must think about what is beneficial. Of course this applies to us, as we discussed in 1 Corinthians 6:12, but we must also take into consideration those around us. If what we are doing is making someone stumble then we better rethink what we are doing.
Every action has a consequence. It is time to start thinking about the things that come from our actions. How are they affecting us and how are they affecting those around us? If your actions are not creating a positive reaction then you need to change the actions.
As I mentioned earlier, this is not a natural way for us to think. We are used to looking out only for ourselves, but now we must also take into consideration the well-being of others. Make sure that the things you do have a positive impact on those around you.

John 13:34-35

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 all men will know that you are my disciples, if you Love one another.”

There is no action in this world that is greater than Love. Love is what binds us together and saves us from death. God created us out of Love and He created us to Love. When He gave us His commandments they were all summed up in two: Love God and Love your neighbor.

Now Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another.” How is it a new command when it seems to be the same as the one God has given from the beginning? See, when God gave us the command we didn’t get it. Man would try to follow God’s commands, but it was out of duty rather than Love.

 Jesus comes and says, “Love one another,” but then takes it a step further by walking it out as a man. He lived the life of Love. God has always Loved us and He always will, but because He is God it has been hard for us to follow His example of Love. But Jesus came and walked as you and I do, except He did it in perfect Love. Now we have an example we can follow.

Jesus says, “As I have Loved you, so you must Love one another.” How did Jesus Love? Jesus Loved unconditionally and He Loved everybody. Ephesians 5:1 tells us to be an example of God by living a life of Love, just as Jesus did.

Jesus set the bar and we have been challenged. It is easy to dislike or hate a person; I challenge you to Love them instead, even when they wrong you. That is how you will live separate from the world. Walk in Love.

1 John 4:7-8

1 John 4:7-8 - Dear friends, let us Love one another, for Love comes from God. Everyone who Loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not Love does not know God, because God is Love.

There are 3 stages of God’s Love in your life. First is the receiving. We have to understand how much God Loves us and open our arms to it. We discussed in yesterday’s blog about how great God’s Love is for us that He calls us His children. His Love is the most important thing and we must learn to receive it from Him.
Next we have to return it to Him. When ask what the greatest commandment was Jesus response was, “Love the Lord your God.” We can’t fulfill this command until we receive His Love, but once we do we must return it to Him. Loving God is the first thing we must do once we have His Love in our hearts.
As Jesus spoke about the greatest commandment He continued by stating the second is like the first, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” This is the third thing we must do with God’s Love. We must Love people. This is where John’s message comes in. He says, “Dear friends, let us Love one another, for Love comes from God.”

He continues by telling us that if we are born of God and know God the proof will be in our Love for each other. If we do not Love people we do not know God. That sounds pretty harsh, but it is true.

“Who are you to tell me if I Love God or not?” you may ask. Think about it this way. If you truly know God, a being that is Love, and you Love Him, you will adopt His attitude toward people. God Loves people and if you Love Him you will also Love what He Loves.

In reality Loving people is Loving God. We see that as we Love God we adopt His Love for people. So by fulfilling the greatest command we also end up fulfilling the the second greatest as well.

John 13:34-35

 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 all men will know that you are my disciples.” Love; the most important thing we need in our lives. Often times Love is thought about as an emotion; which there are feelings that come with Love, but that is not all that it is. Love is so much more. We were created in Love and designed to Love. It is because of Love that Christ came to earth and died. Love is what gave Him the drive to complete all that He did for us. It is the most important charge we are given. In this passage Jesus passes on the responsibility of Love to us. He says, “As I have Loved you, so you must Love one another.” He came to earth and gave us an example of perfect Love and then said to do as He did. So, in order to see what Love truly is we must look at the life of Jesus. Love is an attitude of service. It is putting others needs before yourself. This is not natural. That is why Jesus goes on to say, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples.” He’s saying that by Loving each other we will stand out in a crowd. Most people don’t live this way, they live for themselves. So now think about this. You have one man preaching the gospel on the street corner. Yelling at the top of his lungs about how people need Jesus. Most people will see this man and think he is a crazy person. They will pay no attention to him, and probably be pushed further away from the truth. Then you have a man who goes out and buys a bunch of food. He then takes the food to the street corner and starts passing it out, with an occasional “Jesus Loves you”, or “Can I pray with you?” Which man will be more effective? Obviously it is the one who is showing Love and meeting needs. Jesus is telling us that it is not so much in what we say that will bring hearts to Him, but it is in what we do. It is about how we act towards each other and to them. Are you walking in Love? Are you preferring others above yourself? Jesus set the example and now we must follow in His footsteps. This is how the world will know we belong to Him, and even more than that, this is how the world will know Jesus. We need to be a reflection of who He is so that others can come to know Him through us.