John 13 34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Do you have more than one child? Perhaps you were one of many brothers and sisters. I have three children. If I were to tell them what I want for them in this life, it would be this, love one another. I wonder at times if God the Father feels the same way about all His children? If so, what a huge disappointment this world has been.

Mankind has been killing and wounding, using and abusing each other ever since the very beginning. While there are more people on this earth today than in all of recorded history, we are killing each other at a faster pace than ever. Worse than that, we have failed to find a way to love one another.

Matthew 25:45 Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

If we haven’t loved them, we haven’t loved our Lord. Now I understand that very few in the world believe this, even if they have heard it. We have heard and should believe it. If we believe it, we should live it. But do we know how? Well yes, if you are in Christ Jesus because He said “as I have loved you”.

No one knew how to love until God the Father sent the Son into the world to show them what love not only looked like but how it acted. We say we are not Jesus and we are not perfect so how can we be that love in this world.

Ephesians 3:16-19 That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

I cannot, but He is able.

Proverbs 28:21 To have respect of persons is not good: for for a piece of bread that man will transgress.

Recently I questioned my understanding of a spiritual issue. Seeking the Lord held no knew instruction. Being one who has read many authors, I turned to an old source, a man of letters, a man who had shed some very special light on scriptures for me in the past.

I read about two sentences on the subject as he understood it and closed the book. How could such a learned man be so wrong? I came for understanding and came away let down. In reading those words I knew the truth to be otherwise. The Spirit of Truth said, “This is error.”

Being one who has gained some amount of respect within my church as being trusted with the word, I felt numbed. I certainly had more respect, for that man of letters, than my contemporaries have for me. I want to be a man who is sound in doctrine. I definitely run to ground every doubt that I have until the Spirit allows me to rest, but who am I to be trusted if this man of letters failed me?

I have no wish to fail anyone as the man in today’s opening verse, but to deny my ability to be wrong denies my humanity. I trust in the Lord, that my Comforter will guide me in truth. Yet I cannot deny others the right to object or have another opinion, if it is not foundational to salvation.

Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

Leaning isn’t standing upright.