My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15:12 (NIV)
In the verse above we are reminded that what we are about to read is a command. A command is different from a suggestion. A suggestion is optional, kind of like an idea or a recommendation that you can choose to utilize if you desire. A command is not a suggestion. It is something you must do whether you feel like it or not. Jesus is giving us a command that we must love each other. But Jesus doesn’t stop there. He goes on to say that we should love each other in the same way that He loves us. Well, how did Jesus love us? He is loving, patient, giving, forgiving, etc. So, how should we be toward others? We should be loving, patient, giving and forgiving. The same love that we receive from Jesus is the same love that we should extend to others. In what area of your life (home, work, school) do you need to show more love to others?