It almost seems too simple, doesn’t it?

The Beatles said it back in 1967 on BBC’s first global satellite broadcast: “All you need is love.”

In short, the message of the song is that anything can be accomplished if we just decide to love one another. This was not an original thought by John, Paul, and the lads from Liverpool. Jesus gave his followers a new command over two millennia ago, something that he wanted to define them: To be the outward witness of an inward commitment. “Love each other as I have loved you,” because if you “love one another, the world will know that you are following me.” (John 13:34-35 and 15:12)

Easy to say. Hard to live out.

It’s difficult enough to love other believers, especially if they hold different doctrinal beliefs or (even worse!) different political or ethical positions. Consider how fractured the body of Christ is over such things. What if we took even deeper steps of obedience?

How would the world change if we decided to follow instruction like “love those who hate you” or “bless those who curse you” (Matt 5:44)?

One thing that would happen is that you would be misunderstood. In a selfish world, those who act selflessly stand out and are often attacked.

Other possible results of loving others like Jesus loved us would be ridicule, persecution, and even death. Those kinds of things mark many of the lives who have tried to live this way, including Jesus himself.

The “dark” hates the “light” because the light reveals and dispels the darkness.

Why would we do this? What would push us to treat ourselves, our comfort, our futures – even our very existence – with such abandon?

Obedience.

Are you serious about changing the world? How is God asking you to love someone else today? Will you act on it?