Love Like Jesus
“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. (John 15:9)
” Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you”. 1 John 2:15
*Keep your mind focused on the Father and Eternal things and you will not have to worry about not having the love of the Father in you.
We’re called to confess and repent of our own sins, and we’re called to unconditionally forgive the sins of others.
* “…forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.”Mark 11:25
*If you don’t forgive others, the heaven of YOU may never be opened.
The Father has two kinds of love:
1. a general love for all sinners and
2. a special love for all who are in His family.
God’s general love for mankind can be
embraced by anyone who comes to Him in repentance.
But God’s heart is also filled with another kind of love—a distinctive, exceptional love for His children!
God has always had a chosen people for Himself upon whom He bestowed His great love. Israel once was the sole object for this special love:
*“For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen
you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the
face of the earth. The Lord did not set His love on you nor choose you because
you were more in number than any other people, for you were the least of all peoples; but because the Lord loves you … [He] has brought you out with a
mighty hand …” (Deuteronomy 7:6-8).
God directed these words to Israel. Yet, if you have received Jesus as your
Savior and Lord—if you have been adopted into God’s family and He is your loving Father
—you too must come to grips with how Special you are to Him!
***You are the recipient of God’s extraordinary love and here are His words to you:
“You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own
special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of
darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the
people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy” (1
Peter 2: 9-10).
At one time you were not an object of His special love, but now you are! You
have been reconciled to the Father and He loves you deeply—right now, at this
very moment!
1John 5:1 Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too.
How Can We Love Like Jesus Commands?
*When a lawyer asked Jesus which commandment was the greatest, He said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all you heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and “the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Matthew 22:37, 39).
What an overwhelming assignment!
In our own strength, none of us can live up to this obligation, but the Lord has provided a way for Christians to do the impossible.
The indwelling Holy Spirit works to produce His fruit in us, and first on the list is love (Galatians 5:22).
In fact, the other eight qualities are really just descriptions of its expression.
Whenever we demonstrate kindness, patience, or gentleness, we see the Lord’s love at work through us, especially when the other person has been unkind and doesn’t deserve such pleasant treatment.
*This fruit is not produced by trying harder to muster good will toward someone who is irritating or hard to get along with.
The Spirit flows through us, producing God’s love in us, so that we can pass it on to Him and others.
Agape love is the reason we are able to care for someone who mistreats us—it’s God’s doing, not ours.
Even the adoration we offer the Lord is not something that we can produce in our own heart apart from His assistance. Though the command to love is enormous, God’s grace makes it possible.
Take advantage of every opportunity to demonstrate the Lord’s love for all of mankind. Express His heart toward those in your environment through Respect, Love, and Kindness. You will be judged according to your deeds among men. Since you are the dwelling place of His Spirit show by example the essence of His existence as you abide in His Love and allow it to flow out of you with “Sincerity of Heart”.
John 15:9 As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.
*In Jesus Christ we have a true best friend. Jesus is the perfect friend because he gives us what we need instead of what we want.
*As a friend of God, we have the information and the inspiration to change the world.
*True love always looks like Jesus, True love is sacrificial, true love is always willing to serve.
Lord Jesus, it is unfathomable to me what You endured on the cross. Thank You for Your willingness to suffer and die. I worship you as my Savior and Lord. Help me abide in Your Love so my joy may be full and You get all the Glory and Praise. Help me love as You Love Jesus!
“For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him. (John 3:16-17). Now that is Love for You and Me!
Lord I see through You that Love prompts us to give of ourselves, our time, abilities and resources. Your Word tells us that God is love, and the world will know that we are His followers by the love we show — and giving is what shows our love! Thank You Jesus!
Give God ALL Your Praise this day for God First Loving Us!!!!! Amen
“LOVE IS patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance”.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7.