One Another Devotion - Day 6

by Kaylie Teetsel

John 13:34-35 The Passion Translation

“So I give you now a new commandment: Love each other just as much as I have loved you. For when you demonstrate the same love I have for you by loving one another,

everyone will know that you’re my true followers.”

It’s pretty well known that God tells us to love others, but do we love others as much as

He loves us? It can be pretty difficult at times to love everyone as we should. No matter

where we go, there will always be some sort of challenge in doing that, because we’re all

human. One place that I struggle with that the most, is at/during school. At school, I’m

with the same people, all day, five days a week, and sometimes it does get hard to show

that type of love towards my peers.

When I’m in school it’s so easy for me to get wrapped up in all of the stress, being busy,

and not really pay attention to anyone, and just get through the day, because that’s

what I did for most of my freshman year. Last February, my parents told my brother and

me that they wanted to start a youth group at our house, and start the study called

“Alpha.” I was very against it, and why I was, I still don’t know. I did everything I could

to fight against it. Everything. Eventually I had to start inviting people, and the first

night of the youth group came. I’m not proud of some of these thoughts still, but I did

find it hard to show that love, the love Jesus had for us, towards some of the people

attending. I realized though, that those kids that were brought to our group, they

needed that love. That’s why God brought them there, because He makes everything

happen for a reason.

As the youth group went on, I also realized that I shouldn’t be thinking about if it’s hard

or not for me to love them, because God loves each and every one of us, without a

second thought, and unconditionally. As a Christian, I have to show that to everyone

around me in order to truly be able to show people who God is. A quote that I read

everyday before leaving for school is, “Show people who God is without telling them.” (A

quote by Todd White from Power and Love I do my absolute best to implement that into my life, by showing love to everyone I talk to, see, or pass in school. Many people need that love. Through the youth group, many of them have told me that they haven’t felt like many people cared about them or loved them. They haven’t felt like God would

either, or that He would do anything for them, much less send His son to die on a cross.

They’ve told me that coming to the youth group gave them that feeling, and showed

them that God really does love them, and that they’re capable of being loved.

It does get a little hard to show people the love of God sometimes, because we’re all

human, but everyone needs to be shown that, in one way or another. Showing that love

in different ways, whether it’s just checking in on friends once in awhile, smiling to that

person that not many talk to, or just being extra patient with someone that doesn’t

receive much patience. It makes a huge impact, and as you start to show that love

more, you start to grow with God, and He will show you in many other ways just how

much He loves you.

I want to leave you with this to either pray about or ask yourself,

• What can you do everyday, it doesn’t have to be anything big, to show people the love

of God?

• Is there someone (or multiple people) that God is calling you to love on?