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John 13:34–35
“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Jesus gives the world a test it cannot ignore. He does not say the world will know His disciples by their preaching skill, doctrinal precision, or moral strictness—important as those may be. He says the unmistakable marker of true discipleship is love. Not generic kindness. Not surface civility. But a Christlike, sacrificial love that reflects how He has loved us.

This love is “new” not in time, but in measure. “As I have loved you.” Jesus defines the standard, and it is impossibly high apart from grace. He loved us when we were unlovable, pursued us when we ran, forgave us when we failed, and bore with us when we were slow to learn. Revival restores that kind of love—not sentiment, but sacrifice.

When the church loses love, it may retain truth but lose credibility. A loveless orthodoxy repels the watching world. Truth without love hardens; love without truth compromises; but truth with love transforms. Awakening reunites what drift and division have torn apart.

This love is most clearly seen not in how we treat strangers, but in how we treat one another. Jesus points inward first: “love one another.” The church becomes a living testimony when grace governs disagreements, patience tempers frustrations, and forgiveness replaces grudges. Revival repairs relationships before it reaches the lost.

Love also requires effort. It chooses humility over pride, listening over defensiveness, unity over personal preference. It bears burdens quietly and confronts sin carefully. This kind of love cannot be sustained by human resolve—it must flow from hearts renewed by the Spirit.

As January closes, God turns our gaze toward community. Awakening is never merely personal. A revived people must learn to walk together. Love becomes the glue that holds truth, mission, and worship in place.

Ask God today to deepen your love for His people. Not selective love. Not convenient love. Christlike love. Because when love marks the disciple, Christ is unmistakably seen.