December 13 - Beloved, Let Us Love One Another

"Father, I desire that they also, whom You have given Me, be with Me where I am, so that they may see My glory which You have given Me, for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, although the world has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them."  John 17:24-26 

Here’s a little glimpse of a young man talking to his father—spilling out his heart’s desire. The young man just happens to be Jesus. You can tell that He has a deep love and respect for His righteous Father. He is confident that His Father loves Him and He wants to share that love with His followers. These were the things on His mind during this last prayer time recorded in these red letter words. 

Do you have that confidence that your righteous Heavenly Father loves you deeply? Do you want to tell others about Him—so that they can know His love, too? How do you show our Heavenly Father love, honor and respect? Jesus taught us…YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:31. In addition there is a song that my daughter sang in a chapel musical when she was in second grade. It quotes 1 John 4:7 & 8. Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. So by showing our love to others, obediently, we are showing our love to God the Father. God is Love.  

Dear Heavenly Father—Just as Jesus taught, we love our neighbors and ourselves—especially during this Christmas season. We love You—for loving us.

© 2012 by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.

All scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB).