Love One Another—No Exceptions, No Limits

Jesus counsels in Matthew 22:37-40, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This, He says, “is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

Can you imagine what the world would be like if everyone followed these two commandments? While heaven comes to mind, each of us can offer a little taste of heaven here on earth if we choose to live them out.

Just before Jesus died, He gathered His disciples to emphasize the importance of His words: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” John 13:34-35.

In this, Jesus emphasized a deeper expectation: “as I have loved you.” That’s a love so profound it can feel overwhelming—a love that never stops, no matter what. It's a consistent, sacrificial love. Jesus wants His followers to be known as the most loving group in the world.

Individually and as a church family, we can show that love to those around us—welcoming them as they are, just as Jesus would.

It’s inspiring to hear about the community service happening across the Texas Conference year-round—from handing out water bottles and sleeping bags, to transforming gymnasiums into indoor skate parks or pickleball courts, to knitting and sewing items for the community.

When we love our neighbors as Jesus instructed—without regard for personal differences—we are living as His disciples. Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” period. No asterisk. No qualifier. No prerequisite. Ethnic heritage, political leaning or background doesn’t matter. Jesus simply says: love them.

When Jesus died for our sins, He didn’t just die for those who love Him—He died for everyone. In doing so, He tore down the walls that divide us. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:13 (MSG), “Now because of Christ—dying that death, shedding that blood—you who were once out of it altogether are in on everything.” Christ brought us together through His death on the cross. That sacrifice gave us the chance to live a new life, one without hostility.

Friends, God’s dream for His church is that we be known as a loving people. He calls us to be true disciples who lay down our pride, prejudice and self-righteousness to embrace one another because of Jesus’ ultimate love and sacrifice.

Will you join me in embracing Jesus’ command to love one another?

By Elton DeMoraes, D.Min.President