How to Love

Scripture – John 15:9-13: “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Observation – (Write down what you see in the scripture.) This raises two very difficult questions for me. First, how has Jesus loved me? And second, how do I show that kind of love to other believers? If I avoid really dealing with the first question, the second one becomes moot. This will take me into some personal work I’m not going to publish here. At the same time, there are some general answers that come to mind that fit for us all. His love is intentional. His love is demonstrable. God chose to send His Son. Jesus laid down His life for us. He didn’t just sit around thinking about it – He acted. His love is unending. There’s nothing I can do to make God stop loving me. I can accept it or not. But the fact remains; His love for me is grounded in who He is, not in who I am.

Application – (Write how you will be different today because of what you have just read.) I will explore this more as the day moves on. I will be more specific about how Christ has loved me. I will love other believers based on what I learn.

Prayer – (Write out a brief prayer.) Thank you, Lord, for loving me as I am. Thank you for giving your life for me. Teach me to love as you have loved. I cannot do that on my own. Help me let you live through me this day.