COMMANDED TO LOVE

John 13:34-35 NCV

Upon reading these verses, it is a discovery for me knowing we could make an impact here in Kolambugan, the rest of
Lanao and maybe the whole of the country. Well I believe God has shown me very simply out of the Scripture a way it
can be done. Now I’m not talking about all of them getting saved, but I’m talking about all the people that we have in
mind being confronted by the testimony of Jesus in a very real and powerful way. They’ll be confronted with the
reality of Jesus and with the reality of a life committed to serve Him.

It’s A Commandment

Jesus said, “I’m not giving you a recommendation. I’m not making a suggestion. I’m giving you a commandment. Love
one another.” How are we to love one another? The same way that Jesus loved us. That is an unselfish, self-giving,
seeking first the good of others. Jesus said if you will have that kind of love the whole world will sit up and take
notice, because they don’t see it.
-Perhaps, if you are a person not a believer, would you define the believer by means of their love? I guess you could
define them by the manner of worship, places of worship but not in the manner of love. The world needs to be
confronted with a testimony like this.

It’s A Gut Feeling

Psalm 18:1 NKJV I will love You, O Lord, my strength.
The kind of love that I’m speaking about is really not an emotion. People are very prone to get excited about
emotions. I think particularly in our Filipino culture where a whole lot depends on peoples’ emotions. But the love
that the Bible talks about in God’s people is not an emotion. It’s a decision. Furthermore the word for love there is
not the usual Hebrew word. It’s a word that’s directly connected with the womb, or with the entrails. (Bali-balihon)
Inside out, we are to love God. It’s like every day it drives you restless if you are not doing things for Him. This kind of
attachment only comes with our prayer and reverence to the Word of God. (Man who tries to know the secret of an
evangelist). Our emotion, our flesh will betray us it is only by our connection to God that we will be able to stand.

It’s a Corporate Decision

1 John 4:7-8 NCV Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has
become God’s child and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
It’s very simple, but think of the implications. It means that there is a kind of love that can only come through being
born again. If you ever encounter that kind of love in anybody you know that person is born again. To be Born Again is
to behold the people outside in the same way Jesus sees them. They are lonely, they are not cared for, they have no
answers, they’re desperate, and you don’t have to walk far from where you live to find people like that. (think of the
crippled man on the roof). There is a beauty in doing things together, one may go faster being alone but in doing
things with others you could endure longer. Jesus chooses the twelve to expand the works that He had started,
making sure that each have the same mind and spirit.

The Story of Everybody, Somebody, Anybody and Nobody

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done
it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody
could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when
Nobody did what Anybody could have.

The story may be confusing but the message is clear: no one took responsibility so nothing got accomplished.

Be A Fountain Of Love
Psalm 84:5-6 NKJV Blessed is the man whose strength is in You, Whose heart is set on pilgrimage.
6 As they pass through the Valley of Baca, They make it a spring; The rain also covers it with pools.
One of the greatest wisdom that we could ever learn from the Scriptures is the understanding that this is not our
permanent home. We, the people of God is in a pilgrimage (lumalabay) set your hearts to the destination, but while
you are on a journey. It is not common to pass into some desperate times. It mentions of the Valley of Baca, in
Hebrew it means the Valley of weeping. As you are in the Valley of Weeping, you don’t have to stay there. But let
your tears wells up to be a fountain for other people. (life of Derek Prince). Also mentions of pools, usually the water
fills up low spots. God uses the lowly people to be a pool in which His refreshment comes. “Lord, let this fountain
never become defiled, let it never become contaminated and let it never become stopped up.”

When that fountain of compassion is flowing in you it attracts people. Some things only come by suffering. Suffering
does something that nothing else will do. It prepares the soil for that fountain.