"My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master's business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you." -John 15:12-15 (NIV)
Sometimes loving others can be hard. Maybe someone has hurt you. Maybe you have disagreed too many times for your liking. Maybe your mind can give you a list of reasons that you are justified for not loving someone. When we feel like it's okay not to love someone, we should think about God's love for us.
God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins while we are still sinners. Jesus didn't wait for us to make it right with God before He sacrificed Himself for us. Without God's grace, wouldn't have a chance to love!
Once we have received God's grace and know His Word, we must make every effort to love each other. Even if we do not love someone's actions, we should love the person. Just as Jesus loves us even though He is perfect and we are sinners, we should love each other even though we don't always see eye to eye. With God's help, we can practice love and become better at loving each other - despite our differences - until we are ready to lay our lives down for each other out of love!
We should try to mirror God and Jesus in our thinking and actions. Jesus tells us that we should love each other as much as He has loved us! Since Jesus came and revealed Himself to us and shown us meanings behind God's word, we are no longer servants, but "insiders" in the God our Master's business of love. Even when your mind and the world around you say you don't have to love, remember the command and example of Jesus, pray for His help, and LOVE each other!
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for loving me and for sending Your Son to die for me even though I am still a sinner. Please help me to show Your love to everyone I encounter. When it is hard for me to love someone, please give me the strength to let Your love show. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
God loves us so much that He sent His Son to die for our sins while we are still sinners. Jesus didn't wait for us to make it right with God before He sacrificed Himself for us. Without God's grace, wouldn't have a chance to love!
Once we have received God's grace and know His Word, we must make every effort to love each other. Even if we do not love someone's actions, we should love the person. Just as Jesus loves us even though He is perfect and we are sinners, we should love each other even though we don't always see eye to eye. With God's help, we can practice love and become better at loving each other - despite our differences - until we are ready to lay our lives down for each other out of love!
We should try to mirror God and Jesus in our thinking and actions. Jesus tells us that we should love each other as much as He has loved us! Since Jesus came and revealed Himself to us and shown us meanings behind God's word, we are no longer servants, but "insiders" in the God our Master's business of love. Even when your mind and the world around you say you don't have to love, remember the command and example of Jesus, pray for His help, and LOVE each other!
Prayer:
Dear God-
Thank You for loving me and for sending Your Son to die for me even though I am still a sinner. Please help me to show Your love to everyone I encounter. When it is hard for me to love someone, please give me the strength to let Your love show. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.
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