How to Love Like Jesus
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5 NIV)
We never know what the future holds. We cannot see the end of the day, not tomorrow, not two months from now, and certainly not next year. Sometimes we cannot even see what is to come in the next five minutes. We are not guaranteed a single minute, and although I am not encouraging us to let that fact hang over our heads, I believe it is worth thinking about because remembering this helps us keep perspective. We can more keenly discern the right thing to do in our current moment when we remember that no matter who we are or where we are, the future is not a given.
Maybe I should rephrase that to say our future life on this earth is not a given. What is a given each moment on this earth, if we are followers of Jesus, is that he is with us. He will hold our hands through every hard moment and every joyful one. Then, because of our belief in Jesus and our lives spent following him, we can look forward to eternal life in heaven. There, we will enjoy a life glorifying the Father God and being in fellowship with the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
In the meantime, each day we can let Jesus hold our hands. We can let him walk through the fire with us. No, it is more than that. We can expect him to do these things. The concept of never being alone is hard to grasp at first. We likely just can’t believe that someone would love us enough to walk with us through everything. Maybe we do not believe we deserve it. Maybe we don’t think we need that kind of togetherness. For me, Jesus is like gravity, pulling me back to love, to doing the right thing, to serving others rather than just myself.
I need that kind of gravity. Often, I do not want to admit this, but I know it to be true. I need it to be true. If I were to simply follow my own instincts, I am quite sure they would lead me into selfishness, which is not something I would be proud of. Nor do I want selfishness to be the legacy of my life. When I look at the person Jesus was, I know that being like him and loving like him will be the best way to spend my life.
The catch is that I cannot do it alone, and Jesus is the only one who can really help me. To live and love like him, in the sacrificial, over-the-top way he modeled, I must “remain in him,” as he says in John’s Gospel. Jesus also says, “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” (John 15:10 NIV). Jesus tells us that his command is to love one another as he has loved us (John 15:12 NIV).
How can I be more aware of the constant presence of Jesus and what can I do to let that presence shape my actions?
A friend once told me that she constantly has to remind herself that Jesus loves her just as she is, no matter how other people treat her or what is going on around her. I reflected specifically about a couple different areas of struggle in my life, areas that lead me to feel downtrodden, lonely, or unloved. Jesus provided that friend at that moment to remind me that he is with me always and that no matter what happens in my life, I can choose to act or respond with love. When I have felt hurt or angry over the last couple of weeks, I have said out loud to myself, “Jesus loves me.” It does not matter what my feelings are in those moments. Jesus still loves me. Remembering that fact returns me to a place where I can remain in his love and love others as he has loved me.
Lord, help us to remain in you. Give us opportunities to seek your face and worship you, especially through prayer and your Word, which will keep us grounded in your love. Give us opportunities to model your love because practice makes perfect. Amen.
Scripture for Reflection
“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.” (John 14:26 NIV)
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind.” (Phil. 2:1-2 NIV)
Reach for More
Write “Jesus Loves Me” on as many sticky notes as you have rooms in your house, and then put one somewhere you can see it in each room. When you have a moment in which you feel far from Jesus or you are not acting anything like him, look around for that note, and remind yourself that Jesus loves you, even at your most imperfect moments. Let the Holy Spirit use that note to change your heart and bring you back into the love of Jesus.
enjoys a crazy, beautiful life with her military husband, four sons, and a daughter. A baby interrupts her homeschool days in the best ways, and she is always attempting to live with mindfulness of each moment. She hopes to look at the world and each person in it in light of our amazing Creator, and therefore, to see each moment presented as an opportunity to love and serve him more. Carla relishes time to ponder God’s Word and have quiet moments with him and her coffee. She loves doing life with other mamas and encouraging them to simply be who God has made them to be.
Photograph © Agê Barros, used with permission
