One Another

In John 13:34-35 Christ says "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

Looking through the bible, I see a lot more places where we are told to do something in relation to one another. Various New Testament scriptures tell us to greet, be devoted, live in harmony, accept, instruct, agree, forgive, admonish, encourage, be sympathetic, be compassionate, bear with, provide hospitality, be submissive, have fellowship and sing Psalms and spiritual music to one another. While a few of these may get taken care of on Sunday morning, most of these things cannot be taken care of by an organized church structure. They are the responsibility of each believer.

Can men really identify Christians based on our love for one another? If not, why not? What can we do to improve?

Fight, Flight, or Hide?

Sometimes I like to ask myself "Am I following Christ, or running from the devil?". Resisting the devil without our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus will often lead us from one temptation to the next. When we evade a temptation, we may feel righteous, but pride is a sin. If we use the circumstances of Satan’s traps to guide us, he can herd us away from an authentic relationship with Christ, and into a system of legalism.

James 4:7 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

I love that verse. Step 1, Submit to God. Step 2, Resist the devil. Step 3, Watch him run.

There are so many references to the phrase "stand firm" in the bible. I think in most cases this is our best recipe for success. Often we are tempted to fight, flight, or hide. If God is who we believe he is, we should be able to stand firm on our foundation in Him.

My question: Is standing firm always what God wants us to do? Or are there times when the bible guides us to fight, flight or hide from the devil? Please provide scripture references with your answer.