And now I want to urge you, dear lady, that we should love one another. This is not a new commandment, but one we had from the beginning (2 John 1:5, NLT).
Repetition is sometimes used to emphasize a point. If you closely examine John’s second epistle, you'll surely see the repetition he uses. The point John makes through repetition is that you and I are to “love one another.”
If you have spent any time in church, you have heard this truth repeated over and over again. The problem is that most of us are slow learners. We can know the truth, but following through with it is often hard for us to do.
So, let me ask you, is there someone in your life that you are really having a hard time loving? Maybe you’ve told others that you’ve forgiven this person, that you have no hard feelings towards them, but the truth is, there's an element of hate in your heart that just won’t go away. If you think about the hurt this person has caused you, you'll get angry all over again. Maybe you'll even secretly wish harm upon this person. I have often said that if the first thought you have about someone is the hurt they once caused you, then you haven’t truly forgiven them. Is that the case with your story?
Today I dare you to listen to the encouragement of John: "This is not a new commandment, but one we had from the beginning... We should love one another.” Today, allow God to look deeply into your heart, examine your love quotient for those who have hurt you the most, and ask God to help you love these people (or this person) the same way that Christ loves you.
If you can ever get to this point, you will find a freedom in true love and forgiveness that cannot be achieved any other way.
