We were made for community. We long to belong. Humans in a very real sense need human companion-ship to be, well, human. Without love, we shrivel as humans. With it, we can flourish. 

When you begin looking into the life and teachings of Jesus, it doesn’t take long to see that he both taught and modeled a differently way of being human, one in which we rightly relate to God and to each other. That right way of relating is marked by “love.”

Last time, we saw that when Jesus launched his message and movement into the world, it created communities of faith where people became devoted to one another. 

As these early followers of Jesus learned more about the God who was so devoted to them, they became devoted to one another. Because of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, these early followers of Jesus emphasized “WE” instead of “ME.”

And as we learn the same thing, namely that God is devoted to us, we then become devoted to one another. Being devoted to one another should not just be one more thing on your “to-do” list, but rather an overflow of who you are. 

In this study, we want to unpack this one step further by examine the chief thing that should mark anyone and everyone who follows Jesus, namely, the way we love others. We going to look at some of the words of one of Jesus closest disciples and best friends, John the Apostle, who wrote not only the Gospel of John, but three short letters to followers of Jesus that have been compiled as part of the documents that compose the New Testament.