Day 26

John 13:34-35 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love on another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."  

     Do strangers know that I am a disciple of Jesus?  Do my neighbors know that I am a disciple of Jesus?  Does my family know that I am a disciple of Jesus?  

     I think most Christians would say yes to this, I'm not questioning a person's faith only that person and the Holy Spirit know if they are truly saved (Romans 8:16).  I'm questioning how they know.  Do they know because I have told them I'm a pastor, or I go to church?  Or do they know because I'm loving somebody by meeting their needs?  Love is meeting needs.  The question I find myself pondering is: who's needs have I met lately?  

     Meeting a need can be something as simple as an encouraging word, a card, a phone call.  Or it could be something more demanding such as cleaning up around the house so the person who normally does it can relax.  It could be helping the elderly couple down the road with yard work for free.  It can be something as grand as running a drive for fresh water wells in third world countries.  The sky is the limit.  The point is, Jesus says the reason people should know that you are His disciple is by how you meet others needs in love.  

     When was the last time we met someones' needs?