Loving One Another

Posted on Sep 22, 2015 Topic : Weekly Devotionals

People thrive on community. We need each other. Whether for companionship, encouragement, or just plain fun, we enjoy doing things together. In fact, we were created for relationship. That’s what makes God’s “brand” all the more important. Yes, God has a brand. His identity, logo, and values set Him and His people apart from all others. As members of the body of Christ, we are to manifest His brand in what we say and do so that there is no question who we are and whom we represent.

What is God’s brand? It isn’t people carrying Bibles underneath their arms. Neither is it “Christianese”—language designed to make some people sound holier or more spiritual than others. It isn’t church attendance on Sundays or Wednesdays. No, God’s brand is not an external look or activity. Instead, it’s ingrained in the very fabric of life.

To know God’s brand is to know His heart and His character. To reflect His brand is to reflect Christ Himself. Jesus told us what God’s brand is—the one trait we are to be known for—when He gathered His disciples together in the upper room to give them His final message prior to His death and resurrection. In that room, He told them the identifying factor of belonging to Him as His follower.

We read about this in John 13, where Jesus emphasizes the great command to love. Three times in this chapter Jesus tells us we are to love others. Three times He takes us to this all-important principle—His brand. In fact, He comes right out and says that if we love one another, all men will know that we are reflecting Him as His disciples. We are living like a horizontal Jesus to one another.