Love Your Neighbor
John 13:34-35 (NLT)
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
Reflection
The idea of loving other people as we love ourselves was not a new command that Jesus was giving here in this passage of scripture. The emphasis here was HOW to love one another. Jesus said to love “just as I have loved you” (verse 34).
How did Jesus love?
He loved enough to wash dirty feet.
He loved as He ate with sinners.
He loved those who were impatient.
He loved without hypocrisy.
He loved even when He was tired.
He loved so much that He challenged people.
He loved when people disagreed with Him.
He loved enough to right wrongs.
He loved those who persecuted Him.
He loved all that spat upon His face.
He loved those who whipped Him.
He loved the men that nailed Him to a cross.
He loved us so much that He sacrificed His life for our sins.
This kind of love is a sacrificial, supernatural, spiritual love. You and I can't love that way without the help of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. It requires a moment by moment surrender to our human nature; otherwise, we would avoid certain people, we would be disagreeable and hypocritical, we would run from persecution – we would not love like Jesus!
We have access to the power of the Creator of this universe because of the love of Jesus and the fact that He sent His Holy Spirit into this world. Jesus knew that we humans could not love like Him without His help.
Action Step
How do you love others? Do you love the way Jesus did? In what situations do you find yourself struggling to love others? Take them to the Lord in prayer and ask Him how you can love more like Him!
Prayer
Jesus, I must call upon the power of Your Holy Spirit to give me the supernatural ability to love like You. Take away all my human tendencies to be unloving towards those who are hard to love. Make me a clear and bold example of You every day as I learn to love sacrificially like You. Amen.
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.
Reflection
The idea of loving other people as we love ourselves was not a new command that Jesus was giving here in this passage of scripture. The emphasis here was HOW to love one another. Jesus said to love “just as I have loved you” (verse 34).
How did Jesus love?
He loved enough to wash dirty feet.
He loved as He ate with sinners.
He loved those who were impatient.
He loved without hypocrisy.
He loved even when He was tired.
He loved so much that He challenged people.
He loved when people disagreed with Him.
He loved enough to right wrongs.
He loved those who persecuted Him.
He loved all that spat upon His face.
He loved those who whipped Him.
He loved the men that nailed Him to a cross.
He loved us so much that He sacrificed His life for our sins.
This kind of love is a sacrificial, supernatural, spiritual love. You and I can't love that way without the help of the Holy Spirit working in our lives. It requires a moment by moment surrender to our human nature; otherwise, we would avoid certain people, we would be disagreeable and hypocritical, we would run from persecution – we would not love like Jesus!
We have access to the power of the Creator of this universe because of the love of Jesus and the fact that He sent His Holy Spirit into this world. Jesus knew that we humans could not love like Him without His help.
Action Step
How do you love others? Do you love the way Jesus did? In what situations do you find yourself struggling to love others? Take them to the Lord in prayer and ask Him how you can love more like Him!
Prayer
Jesus, I must call upon the power of Your Holy Spirit to give me the supernatural ability to love like You. Take away all my human tendencies to be unloving towards those who are hard to love. Make me a clear and bold example of You every day as I learn to love sacrificially like You. Amen.
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1 Comment
Ooof needed this reminder this morning, thank you!