Day 5: A New Commandment – Love as identity

Bret Miles [John 13:31–35]

One thing I really like to do is go to football matches. When you are walking towards the stadium, there are lots of people heading in the same direction, and nine times out of ten you can tell they are going to the game because they are either talking about it or wearing some form of merchandise with the team badge on.

We see in John 13:31–35 that we will not be noticed as Jesus’ disciples by what we wear, but by the way we love one another. This is a great challenge to us all: that without words or any other influence, we are set apart from others simply by our actions towards one another.

This moment in Scripture happens just before Jesus goes to the cross, so when He gives this “new commandment,” He is saying, “Here is something qualitatively different from what you have seen before.” This is not love that merely makes you feel good about yourself; this is sacrificial love — laying your life down in a way never seen before. Jesus is about to go and lay His life down. Love wasn’t just something He did or talked about; it was His identity. Jesus is love.

Love isn’t about feelings; it’s a deliberate choice to show someone the heart of God the Father towards them. This world doesn’t just need to hear about the Father’s love — they need to experience it through us, His disciples. Love is very much a doing word, so let’s stand out together by loving one another in a way that displays the Father’s love to the world and to anyone watching.

Reflection:

Love is not just something we feel — it is something we choose. Take a moment to ask yourself: What would loving like Jesus look like in my everyday life today? Now, put that love into action. Choose one deliberate way to show love today:

• Send an encouraging message to someone

• Forgive someone who has hurt you

• Serve someone quietly, without being noticed

• Respond with patience instead of frustration