March 16 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

In March we read the gospel of John. John wrote his gospel so that his readers would know and believe the claims of Jesus. Those who do have everlasting life here and now.

Bible Reading:

John 13:31–34

Bible Text:

"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another" (John13:34).

Devotional:

God's command that we love each other is as old as the Old Testament. What the law required and the prophets preached can be summed up in one line: Love God above all and love your neighbor as yourself.

However, the command to love has no meaning if we don't know what love is.

Many children in North America do not know how to love, care, or be faithful because they have never seen these virtues in their parents. Without a model we don't know how to live or love.

The followers of Jesus have received a "new" commandment: We must love each other as Jesus has loved us. Christ's love is our model. It's not only what he taught us, but especially what he did for us. He gave his life for us. He died to let us live. The love now required of us was first given to us.

The life of Jesus is our model and the Spirit of Jesus is our motor. Without the model we would not know love, and without the Spirit we could not practice it.

If the Christian community really obeyed the Master's law of love, the world would know that we belong to him. People would ask us questions about Jesus.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.