LOVING LIKE JESUS. JOHN. 13:34-35
God is love. He is not only loving; His nature is love. This is the nature that He shares with His children. The believer is a partakers of God’s divine loving nature. The seed of God planted in us is one of righteousness and of love. The first proof that we are children of God is in how we love God and love others. God’s love is a seed that when planted in our heart should result in a life that is full of love for God and for other people. This is a work that the Holy Spirit does in us by shedding the love of God abroad in our hearts (Rom. 5:5). It is to enable us to fulfil the great commandment that we have received from Jesus – to love one another as He loves us. How else could we love as He loved if we do not have His kind of love? It would be an impossible task for a man after Adam to love so selflessly. But blessed be God, who has planted His love in our hearts – so that we are like Him in love.
What is the difference between the natural love and the love (agape) of God? Man’s love is conditional and subject to change. It is affected by people’s behavior, and it requires reciprocation to persist. God’s love is endless and unconditional. This means we are called to love unconditionally. Does God love people that don’t love Him? Yes, He does (Romans 5:8). God loves the entire world – both the saved and the unbelievers. It is because we share His nature that He calls us to love our enemies and to do good to those who despise us. We are not to continue in a selfish (my-interest-first) kind of love. We are to love those who appear difficult to love – because it is in doing so that we reveal ourselves as children of God. It is time to rise to the fullness of the divine nature in us. It is time to love one another as Jesus loved us. Take up the challenge and let God love others through you.
PRAYER FOCUS: Lord, I repent of denying the loving nature you have planted in me. I receive grace to love as You loved me even to love those who are difficult to love around me in Jesus’ Name.