"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 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." John 15: 9-14 [NIV]
God loves Jesus and in the same way Jesus loves us. He wants us to love others in the same manner. Where do you stand on the "loving others" scale? Some people love themselves and hate others, others have a self-loathing or low self-esteem and find it difficult to love anyone. But love is the most important thing:
This is my command: Love each other.
John 15: 17 [NIV]
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 Corinthians 13:13 [NIV]
As connected branches, belonging to the vine, we are recipients of the love that flows from God to us via Jesus. Don't let the love stop with you, let it flow to the other branches (whether they are connected or not) – love others in the same way as Jesus loves you. Let them know that Jesus loves them too.
Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me with the love of the Father – help me to love others as you have loved me. Amen.
Memory Verse: Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. Matthew 7:24 [NIV]
Dave MacLellan
(based on Saddleback Church resource material)
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