"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."
What is God saying?
Love is THE identifying mark of Christ's followers. Not just any type of "love" either, the love we are to have for others is the type of love Jesus has for us. If we don't show the world the type of love that Jesus has shown us, we are not worthy to be called His followers.
What is God saying to us today?
The concept of loving each other is not exactly a new command, as it can be found throughout the Old Testament; it is more of a renewed command, because the love we are to exhibit to others isn't just our own idea of love, we now have a new standard: Jesus' example of love. We all can have our own unique definition and concept of love (permissive love, tough love, etc.), but we are called to model the type of love that Christ modeled while He was on earth. What type of love did He model? While we could probably spend years examining and defining Jesus' love, the one adjective that sums it up the best is: sacrificial. We are called to love others at the cost of our own pride, our own desires, our own prejudices, and even our own earthly well-being.
What is God inviting us to do?
Today, are you willing to love the person who makes you uncomfortable, the person who hates you, the person who has different political/theological/philosophical views than you, the person who scares you, the person who has hurt you? God calls us to love others sacrificially, because that's how He loves us!