Living the Risen Life by Loving One Another

It’s not easy to love other people.  They let us down.  They hurt our feelings.  They pass us over.  They discriminate against us. They make us jealous.  They oppress us.  They ignore us.

Love isn’t the first thing that often comes to mind.  But before Jesus went to His death, He told us about Living the Risen Life by Loving One Another.

Hmmm.  What are you more likely to feel about your fellow human being? Maybe you’re a compassionate soul who only thinks good things like friendship, mercy, and graciousness.  Wish I could say that’s my default mode.  For me, I keep crucifying that old nasty woman I am by nature, but she keeps trying to come back as the walking dead.  What might be part of your old human nature?

Competitive energy, superiority, or ambivalence? Distrust, anger, envy, or hate?  Bitterness, spite, desire for retribution or revenge?  Maybe you feel like you want to get away from others, from their negative influences or bad priorities, or maybe they just wear you out with their troubles, their talk-talk-talk, or their bragging about their successes?

Jesus says deny yourself.  Put to death the old ways of the past.   Show the world you are now His disciple by obeying the new command to love one another.  Just as He said, that’s the way to be Living the Risen Life.