And his commandment is this:
we should believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ,
and love one another just as he commanded us.
What God asks of us is not so abstract or complicated as to be unobtainable (see Deuteronomy 30:11). But listen to what John learned first hand from Jesus. Faith must be the starting place. It is not equally true to say that we should love one another and believe, because believing is the basis by which we love.
Then they said to him, “What must we do, to be doing the works of God?” Jesus answered them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (see John 6:28-29).
We are not called to love according to our preferences or predilections. Rather, we are called to love others as Jesus loved us (see John 13:34). Unless we know this love by faith our love for others will be lacking. Because he remains in us we are able to keep his commandments, provided, that is, we believe and remind ourselves that he is living within us. If we forget, we will be like someone with a lighter who tries to light every fire with flint and tinder. Eventually we'll be worn out.
Those who keep his commandments remain in him, and he in them
There are a lot of lies that surround us, that we are invited to believe, that are indeed pressed upon us to accept. There are many false prophets in the world whose priority is something other than Jesus Christ come in the flesh. How many spirits not only do not acknowledge Jesus but try to forbid or limit the freedom of others to do so? This is a real thing in our world, and its origin, while not always conscious, is demonic.
The Spirit was given to guide us into all truth (see John 16:13) and to remind us of everything that Jesus taught (see John 14:26). He can help us to navigate the arguments and conflicts that surround us and keep us grounded in the fundamental realities of our faith. The Spirit assures us that Jesus remains in us, that the victory is already ours, and thus gives us the strength of hope to pursue the unfolding of that victory.
You belong to God, children, and you have conquered them,
for the one who is in you
is greater than the one who is in the world.
The world and the lies it espouses are complicated. But we are called to a simple faith that does not paralyze our ability to act in love but rather empowers it.
He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (see Micah 6:8).
We need only make sure that we are allowing the Spirit to make the faith we profess a reality in our minds, in our wills, and therefore in our lives. Have we given parts of ourselves over to what the world tells us to be the case? Are we judging ourselves or others based on the standards of this world rather than the love of God? Are we desperate, fearful, proud, or covetous? These are ways that the world tells us that we are, ways that it wants us to describe ourselves. But if we have given in, it is never too late to change our minds.
From that time on, Jesus began to preach and say,
"Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand."
It is this turning toward the truth that makes Jesus a great light, not just for Zebulun and Naphtali, but for our own lives each day. And in his presence, those things which we thought defined us turn out to not have the final say.
He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
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