How Jesus has loved us!
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Love Revealed (Watch Here)
“As I have loved you.”
The standard for love of others is Jesus’ love for us.
To be better at loving others, we must grow deeper in how Jesus has loved us. The world around us can define and exhibit “love” however it chooses, but if we want to be known as disciples of Jesus, we must understand and model the love of Jesus.
So what does that look like?
First Jesus CHOSE to love.
To love as Jesus has loved us is to choose to love. The love that Jesus showed was not earned or deserved by the recipients (actually just the opposite). He desired the blessing of others and so he chose to act on their behalf. John 13:1 states, “It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”
Jesus didn’t ask the disciples if they wanted their feet washed, he chose to wash their feet. Jesus didn’t ask for prayer requests from his disciples, he prayed for them. Jesus didn’t ask his disciples to defend him against arrest, he chose to be arrested. Jesus didn’t ask his disciples if he should die for them even though they deserted him, he chose to die for them.
The whole of Jesus’ mission was the plan of his Father which Jesus intentionally undertook for the salvation of all mankind. He was not coerced, bought off, or manipulated. He chose to love us.
He loved UNCONDITIONALLY.
The world’s love is often connected to the performance of the recipient. If they don’t love back, I stop loving them. If they wrong me, jilt me, or turn on me, I feel justified to stop loving someone (and maybe worse.) However, look at the Apostle Paul’s inspired reflection in Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” While we were still sinners, Jesus acted in love on our behalf!
He loved SACRIFICIALLY.
Jesus’ love for us always was an imposition on his time, character, activities. He was willing to give himself up for us so that we might be presented as perfect, holy and blameless before God (even though we could achieve none of this on our own!). As an example for husbands, the Apostle Paul uses the sacrificial love of Jesus as our example as husbands to love their wives. Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.
These three perhaps the world understands a bit, but not fully. The last one is one is a key to loving as Jesus did.
Jesus loved us HONESTLY.
Jesus loves us enough to not allow us to live in the lies of Satan. He loves us enough to point out when our hearts are loving someone or something else more than the Lord, because he wants us to end up in heaven. He is willing to warn us of sin in our hearts, such as pride, selfishness, deviance from God’s law and much more because he knows these are the fruit of Satan, not the Spirit. Jesus loves us enough to guide us in a way that reflects him, not our sinful passions and desires. To love us, Jesus warns us, points out sin, and calls us to repentance. In no way does Jesus love by overlooking sin, not addressing it or worst of all condoning it because he doesn’t want to confront it.
Is confrontation of our sin is simply because he loves us enough to continue in it. He is more than willing to forgive one who repents of their sin and is more than happy to give his Spirit to help us overcome that sin. It would be dishonest and unloving for him to even hint that sinful behavior was justified or ok.
One of many examples is in John 8. Jesus confronts the pride of the Pharisees ready to stone a woman caught in adultery. Jesus forgives the woman and directs her away from her sin. All done in love because he wants none of them to be separated from God forever because of sin that is left unaddressed.
John 8:10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”
As I have loved you…Jesus says…love one another.
Apply: Which aspect of Jesus’ love for you is most challenging as you think about loving others?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me intentionally, unconditionally, sacrificially, and honestly. We pray that in all our love for others, we would love as you have loved us. AMEN.
Love as…
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Love Revealed (Watch Here)
A little word makes a big difference.
“Jesus wants us to love everyone.”
Sounds good doesn’t it?
I would have to agree.
However the context of this statement has to be carefully considered. In recent years, I have heard this phrase used often in a conversation where there is a discussion of a behavior that while it might be accepted and maybe even legal, it butts up against God’s moral law. The phrase is thrown out, “Jesus wants us to love everyone, doesn’t he?” and it seems like the “moral ace card” has been played and the one opposing the behavior has to fall silent because who could disagree with the statement, “Jesus wants us to love everyone”?
The sentence sounds good.
Jesus in John 13:34 said, “A new command I give you: Love one another.”
All too often Scripture is used as a convenient cover for tough and challenging conversations or even revelations that counter the culture or the accepted norm.
To be sure, Jesus wants us to love everyone.
To be sure, we cannot disagree with Jesus’ command to love one another.
However, where we must pause is the very next word: “As…”
John 13:34 continues, “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Sometimes the smallest words make the biggest difference.
With this word, Jesus qualifies what our love of others is to look like. It is to look the same way he has loved us.
With this word, Jesus challenges us to understand how he has loved us.
With this word, Jesus turns us away from the world’s definition of love, how I think love should be practiced, or how the people around me wish love would be defined.
One cannot ignore the point Jesus is making. In the same way Jesus has loved us, so we are to love others.
So, that takes work. But it is work that is worth undertaking.
Before we get into a discussion about “loving everyone” or before we start making up our own definition or determination of what Jesus meant when he wants us to love one another, we must turn to Jesus to see how he actually did love us. What happens in our search is to realize that every teaching, every interaction, every action which is recorded about Jesus is an opportunity to ask, “How did he love me in this situation?”
Consider a somewhat random passage from Matthew 5:1-2. With these words, Matthew introduces the next three chapters.
5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them.
Jesus loved these people enough to teach them about life in the kingdom of God, where blessing was to be found, what the law of God said, nuances of sin they may not have thought about, relationship issues, heart issues, and much more.
Why? Because just as a parent takes time to teach their child about life, relationships, faith and more because they love them, so Jesus did as well.
There is much more that we will delve into the next couple of days to better understand how Jesus loved us. And the great thing is, Jesus taught and modeled love throughout his ministry so that we would know not just a general idea, but very specifically what love is to look like when we love one another…and for that matter, love everyone.
Because one little word makes a big difference!
Apply: Read through Matthew 5-7. Make a list of all the ways that Jesus loved us in the various teachings he gives in his Sermon on the Mount…you may need a couple of pages!
Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving everyone with a perfect love. Help me grow in all the ways you have loved me so that I might truly love all around me JUST AS you have loved me. AMEN!
Love failed.
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Love Revealed (Watch Here)
Failure.
Do you have the fear of failure?
Most people have a natural adversity to failing. We usually don’t start something that we know we are going to fail at, at least not very often. When we do fail, it can be crushing. We may feel so defeated that we never try again.
On the other hand failure, when evaluated and learned from can move us forward in life. If you quit playing little league baseball after missing your first pitch, you would have quit too soon. If you would have dropped out of school after getting your first F on an assignment, you would have missed out on your education.
Failure happens because we are not perfect people. Failure isn’t necessarily wrong, in fact, when failure causes us to evaluate and adjust and learn to do something a different way, it might be the best thing for us!
Have you ever failed at love? Or has love ever failed you?
I would guess all of us would say, “yes” to this.
The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13:8, “Love never fails.”
Has this been your experience?
Love NEVER fails?
How do we reconcile this passage with our experience?
To get to understand love that never fails, maybe we first evaluate what causes love to fail?
When we look at love from the world’s standpoint, we can begin to see where love breaks down. Here’s a few reasons why love fails:
- Love is often based on feelings—such as attraction, chemistry, or happiness.
- Love tends to be conditional, based on the other person’s behavior, compatibility, or benefit to the individual.
- Often focused on what one receives—security, pleasure, validation, or fulfillment.
- Love can fade or shift based on circumstances, feelings, or unmet expectations.
- Idealized in media as a fairy tale or emotionally overwhelming experience.
- Definitions of love shift based on cultural trends, societal values, and personal preferences.
In all of these, love becomes subjective and has little substance upon which it stands. You can probably connect with one or two of these as you evaluate past experiences.
So, the benefit of failure is it leads us to ask, “What will keep me from failing in the future?”
The love that never fails is a love that is rooted in God’s love for us. If we want to love to never fail, it must be rooted in the never failing love God has for us. The Apostle John writes,
1 John 4:7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
It’s this love we want to discover so that God’s never-failing love takes deep root in us!
Apply: When has love failed you? Or seemed like it failed? Which of the evaluations might have happened in that circumstance?
Prayer: Lord, forgive us for times we try to define and practice love based on the ways of the world. Give me a humbleness of heart to learn from my failures and learn more of your never-failing love! AMEN
Love revealed…through our moms!
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Love Revealed (Watch Here)
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud… It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”
—1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NIV)
There is no question that when one looks for examples of Christ-like love, we look to our mothers. For sure, not every person has the blessing of a loving mother, but motherhood is still lifted up as a primary example of what love is. Yesterday, on Mother’s Day, we paused to celebrate the women who have nurtured, guided, and loved us—mothers, grandmothers, stepmothers, adoptive mothers, and spiritual mothers.
Often the world defines motherhood by activity—diapers changed, meals cooked, soccer practices attended—Scripture points us to something deeper: the heart behind those actions. In 1 Corinthians 13, the apostle Paul describes the kind of love that mirrors the character of Christ. It’s no coincidence that this same kind of love often shows up in the life of a faithful mother.
“Love is patient, love is kind.” How many times has a mother waited with patient endurance through tantrums, teenage attitudes, or times of uncertainty? How many acts of unnoticed kindness—packing lunches, offering hugs, praying late at night—have flowed from a mother’s heart?
“It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.” A godly mother rejoices in her children’s growth and victories, not her own recognition. Even in a world that often overlooks her quiet labor, she finds joy in others’ flourishing.
“It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” This kind of love chooses forgiveness over resentment, gentleness over harshness, humility over pride. Mothers who love this way reflect Christ—especially when no one else sees. How many times does mom forgive!
“Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” This is the kind of fierce, enduring love that continues to believe in a child who has lost their way, hopes in hard seasons, and stays steadfast when life is overwhelming. This is agape love—selfless, sacrificial, and unconditional.
As great as our moms are, even the most devoted mother falls short. No human love is perfect. But that’s why we look to God’s love, the source of all true love. The love described in 1 Corinthians 13 is ultimately the love of Christ, poured into our hearts by His Spirit (Romans 5:5). We thank God for moms who lean on Jesus, who seek to be filled with his love, His strength, His grace, and His example so they might love well.
Thank you Lord for all our moms who live out this kind of love—not just through what they do, but through who they are. Strengthen them each day to love as you have loved them.
Apply: If you haven’t, take time today to give thanks to God for your mom…let her know too!
Prayer: Lord thank you for moms who seek to reflect your heart of love. Refresh and strengthen them as they continue to pour out their love to their children. Encourage those that are struggling. Give hope to moms experiencing loss and in all things fill the hearts of all with your unchanging and enduring love. AMEN.
Psalm 23…I can’t wait!
Today’s devotion is based on the Message: Trust Revealed (Watch Here)
“I can’t wait until they are over!”
As our girls finish up their school semester by taking tests and exams, it brings back memories of that season of life where one spends hours studying, not just prior to an exam, but throughout the semester. The week of exams was grueling with long hours of studying, the nervousness of wondering if you had prepared enough and then the mental focus to take an exam that could be a couple hours long.
But the stress leading up to all the tests melted away as the last one was handed in and the pressure and responsibility of homework and studies melted away to the freedom a relaxing schedule of the summer months.
What does this have to do with Psalm 23?
I don’t think that King David went through semester exams, but he went through life exams. As we reflected on yesterday, some of those can be intense, stressful, dark and worrisome.
But David knew what was on the other side. The joy, relief, and peace stood in contrast to the dark valleys of life:
5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
Four wonderful blessings that we get to enjoy as a result of the Lord being our Shepherd to lead us through life:
- Being a welcome guest at the Lord’s table of blessings. David had many enemies, but he knew he had safety in the Lord’s presence. A picture of an invited guest of the Lord’s banquet gives a picture of what we experience in heaven from Revelation 19:9:Then the angel said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he added, “These are the true words of God.”
- Being anointed by the Lord. David was anointed with oil and set apart to be the king of Israel. He knew he was chosen by God and as a result always was filled with the blessing of God. At our baptism, we were set apart by God as his child. We know, in spite of what anyone else would say, we are chosen children of God. The Apostle Paul to the Corinthians expressed it this way (2 Corinthians 1:21-22): Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
- Goodness and love will follow us every day. Life may have its challenges and seasons that are not easy, but we are confident that goodness and love of God are not abandoning us, but rather walking with us. Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
- We get to dwell with the Lord forever. The best promise our Good Shepherd gives us is that after our journey through this life is over, our life begins in the presence of God forever. This is always the hope, joy and peace for a Christian. No matter what this life throws at us, we have a room being prepared for us in heaven that we will get to enjoy forever! The Apostle John records Jesus’ words (John 14:1-3): “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.
Summer break was always fun to look forward to after a long semester. How much more the blessings of our Good Shepherd to look forward to both during and especially after our journey through this life.
The Lord is YOUR shepherd. Enjoy life with him each day!
Apply: What blessing of the Lord given in Psalm 23:5-6 give your heart peace today?
Prayer: Lord, our Good Shepherd. Ensure my heart and mind are always focused on the blessings you give and you promise, even as I journey through the dark valleys of life. AMEN.