This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. John 15:12 NLT
Of course, those people are so different than you are. Think about the original crowd who heard these words. They were the disciples … as disparate a group as you could put together. Common fishermen and a professional man or two. A Zealot and pacifists. Quiet and loud. Married and single. We could go on. From that day until now, the call to love people has nothing to do with anything but the similarity that we are all loved by Jesus. We are to love others like He has loved us.
Loving like Jesus when they are so different from you means extending God's agape love, not natural affection. It is the highest form of love. The kind of love that is not natural. It’s not a feeling. It’s action.
It's God's love, not your own. Unconditional, others-first love is never natural. God loves through you by His Spirit in you. He empowers you to love extraordinarily (1 John 4:7-8).
It's a command, not a choice. It’s not something that only really good Christians, “professional Christians,” or people who have been Christian for a long time do. Jesus commanded it ("Love your neighbor as yourself" (Luke 10:27), even telling us to love our enemies (Luke 6:35). If you are a Jesus follower, this is your command and expected obedience.
It's defined by Jesus. Not your feelings or opinions, but by His selfless, sacrificial example (John 13:34). It’s never a “one and done” situation. It’s ongoing.
It's about action and sacrifice. It means putting others' needs above your own, serving them and being present, even when it's inconvenient or requires sacrifice (Romans 12:10).
It starts with loving God first and completely. Loving God supremely enables you to love others best, as JHe is the source of all true love and will always empower us to do what He has commanded (Matthew 22:37-38).
- This week, acknowledge your difficulty and admit that you can't love like this on your own. Ask God to fill you with His Spirit to be His hands and feet. Focus on the example of Jesus. Pray for the ones you see as so difficult. Ask God to help you see them through His eyes, as people in need of mercy just like you. Identify one way you can show practical love this week by serving, listening, and putting their needs before your own. Every day start by declaring your love for Jesus and asking Him to love through you today.