BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Love one another, as I have loved you.”
(John 15:12)
MEDITATION:
If you were asked to point out the major theme of the New Testament,
what would you say? Would you say it is all about Jesus? If so, then
you would be right.
But what does Jesus show and teach us in the New Testament?
He teaches us to learn to fellowship with God and with each
other. There are two main characteristics He focuses on – humility
and love. I believe He ties the two together because it is easier to
love when we are humble.
Whenever we are arrogant, we are usually self-centered and tend
to look at others as inferior. However, when we are humble, we
can have the attitude Paul talks about in Philippians.
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit.
Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,
not looking to your own interests but each of you
to the interests of the others. (Philippians 2:3)
When we have a genuine concern about those around
us, we start to discover what love is all about. When we
obey this scripture, it means that when others want to
communicate with us, we will not take it lightly but will
consider it as important.
When they talk, we patiently listen; when they call, we
answer the phone; when they text, we acknowledge and
respond to their text; when they compliment or encourage
us, we tell them how much we appreciate it.
In summary, we make sure they know that we value them
as our friends (or family members), and we will always
show them respect and give them a high priority in our life.
Look at the characteristics of love:
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does
not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects,
always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
(1 Corinthians 13:4-7)
Wouldn’t it be nice to have a friend (or many friends) with those
characteristics? Are you that kind of friend to others?
Paul says it doesn’t matter what he can accomplish,
if he doesn’t have love, then he has accomplished nothing.
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels,
but do not have love, I am only a resounding
gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift
of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and
all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move
mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If
I give all I possess to the poor and give over my
body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have
love, I gain nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:1-3)
Paul gets it. When he sold out to Jesus, he wanted to be
more like Him every day. Jesus said we are to love each
other, so Paul put that at the top of his own list of priorities.
Jesus showed us what the ultimate of love looks like – He died
for those who didn’t love Him. His love was shown through
obedience to His Father’s will. He had a love for man and a
love for His Father.
ACTION:
Where is the needle on your ‘love meter’? Are you the type
of friend with the characteristics of love mentioned earlier?
What is your opinion of others? Do you feel their needs are
just as important (or more important) as yours? Do you get
upset whenever others don’t reach out to you (but you don’t
reach out to others either)?
When carrying on a conversation with others, do you mostly
talk about yourself and what is going on in your own life; or,
do you ask leading questions to encourage the other person
to share their concerns with you?
When others talk about things that do not interest you, are you
rude and impatient, or do you respectfully and patiently listen
to what they have to say? Does your body language say, “Hurry
up and finish!”, or do you interrupt them, or just walk away?
Most of us have heard it said that we, as believers, “live in the
world, but not of the world”. That means we have a choice – we
can adapt to the worldly attitudes, or we can adopt the
characteristics of Jesus and obey His instructions – to love.
The scriptures provide many instructions that help us in our
relationships with others, but they are also instructions to help
us enjoy our faith in the Lord. Jesus said we are to love others
as He has loved us. What changes will you make to become more
obedient to His command?
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, my simple prayer is,
‘help me to love like Jesus’. I know that
when I can love like He did, my relationship
with others, and with You, will be more like
it should be, and I will lean toward humility
more than I will toward selfishness and
egotism. Thank You, Jesus, for showing
us what true love looks like.”
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