06/16/2026
Hey everyone,
In reading through the gospel of John, I came across a verse in chapter 15 that is familiar but packed with meaning and deserving of thought. It is verse 12 and it says, "This is my commandment: that you love one another, as I have loved you." Sounds simple enough. Let's break this down and puzzle it out for a minute because we cannot implement correctly what we don't understand. Jesus said, "This is my commandment.." When God gave commandments in the past, He expected obedience from His people. As born-again believers, we are His people. As such when He tells us to do something, our obedience should be immediate and without question. It should flow from our love for Him and should generate a desire to please Him and for Him to be pleased with us. After all, He is our Creator and we owe Him everything; our allegiance, our love, our service with nothing held back, given freely and completely as a living sacrifice. A commandment from God should be obeyed as written. There is no wiggle room and no gray area. It requires just one response, "Yes, Lord."
His commandment is to "Love one another, as I have loved you." Jesus was teaching His disciples as much as He could because He knew that soon they would watch the Romans torture Him to death, spurred on by corrupt Jewish religious leadership. He knew they would need each other to get through all that was ahead of them. This commandment is for His disciples today as well. His disciples are those who are deeply committed to their intimate, ongoing relationship with Jesus, wherein they learn to live life, love others and think like Him, always putting Him before and above everything else. There were 12 original disciples, we are millions more today and we are called the Body of Christ. Jesus repeated His command just a few verses later saying, "Love each other." Repetition in Scripture is God telling us, "Pay attention! This is important!" From our verse, we know that we are to love others in the Body of Christ as Jesus loves us. Why did He tell us to love as He does? Human love is an emotion that varies with circumstances and how the day is going. We withhold love when we are angry or put off by someone, if we have taken offense. We lavish love on people who are like us or those who please us or whom we want to be like or spend time with. What does Jesus' love look like? He gave up everything to be one of us. He patiently teaches us. He sees past who we are to who we will become. He overlooks our every flaw and fault, loving us in spite of them. He chose us before we chose Him. He submitted to dying a shameful and horrifically painful death as He took on every sin ever thought about or committed by every person who ever lived or will live on this earth. He chose to breathe His last breath in that sin-laden condition and while His body lay lifeless, He paid hell a visit and took back the keys and won the victory over death and the grave. Then He rose from the dead in glorious fashion and made Himself accessible to all who would believe. When He left the earth, He left us the Holy Spirit to teach and empower us to live and love as He did. That's how Jesus loved His disciples then and that is how He loves us now!
The Holy Spirit enables us to love as Jesus loves, sacrificially with His whole heart. Let's focus on the church body you are part of, those you see every Sunday, who are part of your small group or Sunday School, who do women's or men's ministry with you. You should know them and they should know you. We should be sharing about ourselves and our lives and we should be listening and interested when they share. We should know who is hurting and reach out to them with prayer and encouragement. We should be aware when people are not at church and reach out to them. We should know those who are struggling with health issues. We should put hands and feet to our love and help meet the needs whatever they are. Godly love requires action. Hugs, smiles, tears, meals, phone calls, prayer dates, babysitting, patience, perseverance and giving completely of yourself in sacrificial ways. This kind of love doesn't look at what others are doing to see if they are helping too, there is no comparing your love to others to determine how much love you should give. That's NOT love. You simply serve those that God calls you to, humbly and meekly. But what do you do with the one who seems to be drawn to you but whom you would not choose as a 'good fit', who sees you from across the parking lot even though you are doing your best to avoid them and runs right over? Maybe they don't fit into your 'circle of friends'. Maybe they don't dress like you, or speak the way you do, or maybe they aren't as spiritually 'mature' as you are. Jesus doesn't care!! He wants you to love them anyway. Maybe you are thinking someone else will minister to them. Why does it have to be you? Because Jesus loved the poor and the least of these, and the Holy Spirit is drawing that person to you, so you need to respond with Jesus' love. What if they need help beyond what you can give? Help them find that help and then be their biggest fan, encourager, prayer support and friend. Love requires getting dirty sometimes. Admittedly, there are people who seem to go out of their way to be unlovable. But the commandment did not say you could pick and choose who you love. Pray about how to meet their needs, start praying for them daily and be persistent. Seek them out and love as Jesus does, just as they are. The love of Jesus is generated by the Holy Spirit. It is one of the fruits he cultivates in our hearts, but we have to feed and water it to see it take root and grow. This love can't be turned off and on, it flows from a heart overflowing with love for and from the Savior. If you are having trouble loving, the trouble is you. Do some soul searching and, if need be, confess to Jesus, then make yourself available to the Lord to share His love as He gives you opportunities. Ask Jesus to allow you to see them and love them the way He does. The love you have for your best friend, your pastor, and the one you are struggling with should be exactly the same. 1 John chapter 3 gives us more detail on how to love like Jesus. vs 18 Little children, (that's us) let us not love in words or talk, but in deed and in truth. Why is our love for others so important? It is the evidence that Jesus is at home within us and that we abide in Him. It is what non-believers see and marvel at and it draws them to Him. Love like Jesus.
Kelly @ All God's Daughters
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