John 13:34-35 English Standard Version (ESV) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

I left you yesterday with the thought than commands will come as we grow in Christ. Here is the first one. As babes in Christ we were in the nursery, safe and secure with little if any contact with other babes. As we grow in Christ we will find ourselves in the playground of the Lord. This is where we learn to interact with other growing Christians. None are mature but they have grown enough to be told to get along with one another.

How can you learn to love the lost if you cannot learn to love your brothers and sisters in Christ?

One of our failures in loving one another is in our effort to use worldly standards. We judge people as being worthy of our friendship and affection. Jesus said don’t judge. Jesus said love your enemies. This is in direct contrast in how we choose friends. We are in the family of God now and these people in the playground of the Lord are family.

Family dynamics are complicated. We don’t get to choose our siblings. The larger the family the harder it is to find our place in the hierarchy. Being in the family of God is not supposed to be competitive but that is where we came from in the world. Treating our brothers and sisters in Christ like we were a worldly family doesn’t work. We don’t have to scratch and claw our way for attention, position or freedom.

Family freedom is granted to those who have matured enough to behave themselves.