This week’s devotions are based on Week 3 of Building Together: “Together is Tough!” (WATCH HERE)
John 13:34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
Jesus does not leave us guessing about what Christian love looks like. He gives us a model. “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”
The standard is not how kindly someone treats us. It is not how much we have in common. It is not whether someone has earned our respect or deserves our patience. The standard is Christ.
That can be a difficult command.
It is easy to love people who love us. It is easy to be patient with someone who is patient with us. It is easy to serve someone who appreciates what we do. But Jesus calls us to something deeper. He calls us to love as He has loved us.
Think about the disciples gathered around Jesus on the night before His crucifixion. They had spent years with Him, yet they still argued about who was the greatest. They misunderstood Him. They were slow to believe. They would soon abandon Him. One would betray Him. Another would deny Him.
And Jesus loved them.
He knew exactly who they were, yet He did not walk away.
That same night, Jesus washed their feet.
The One who had every right to be served became the servant. The One who knew He was about to suffer gave Himself for people who did not yet understand what He was doing. His love was not based on what they could give Him. His love flowed from who He is.
That is the love Paul points us toward in Ephesians 5:2: “Live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us.”
Notice the order. Christ loved us first. Then we are called to love.
This is important because Christianity is not about trying harder to make God love us. The Gospel tells us that God has already loved us in Christ. Jesus has already given Himself for our sins. We are already forgiven. We are already God’s dearly loved children.
Our love for others is a response to the love we have received.
So what might that look like today?
It might mean listening when you would rather speak. It might mean forgiving when you would rather hold onto the offense. It might mean serving when nobody notices. It might mean encouraging someone who is struggling. It might mean speaking a difficult truth with gentleness. It might mean putting someone else’s needs ahead of your own.
None of these things earn God’s favor. Christ has already secured that for us.
Instead, they are opportunities to let the love of Christ take shape in our lives.
Together is tough because people are not easy.
But Christ has loved us.
And because He has loved us, we can love one another.
Reflect: Where is Christ inviting you to show sacrificial love to someone today? How does remembering that Christ has already loved and forgiven you change the way you love others?
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank You for loving me when I was undeserving of Your love. Thank You for giving Yourself for me and forgiving my sins. Teach me to love as You have loved me. Give me a servant’s heart when I would rather be served, patience when I would rather be frustrated, forgiveness when I would rather hold onto an offense, and compassion when I would rather look away. Let Your love shape my words, my actions, and my relationships so that others may see Your love through me. Amen.