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.