Beautiful Word Devotional #72

“My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

John 15:12

This command is so simple, so profound, and so hard to follow.

Maybe it will be helpful to look at exactly how Jesus loved others. The Gospels show us that he pursued the outcasts, let himself be interrupted, and inconvenienced himself for the sake of others. We see that Jesus brought healing and grace and truth. He told stories, sometimes shared hard truth, and always extended an invitation to follow him.

What would it look like to love people Jesus’ way? We can pursue people who are sitting on the outskirts of life. We can set aside our to-do list and instead create a to-love list. We can let someone’s immediate need override our agenda. We can ask God to use us to bring healing to the broken, grace to the legalistic, and truth to the confused. We can share our own stories of God’s goodness to us, and we can share the gospel, praying that those who listen will choose to follow Jesus.

Let’s love as Jesus loved.

Lord, use me to love others with your love that they might love you too, amen.