Disciple-Making DisciplesSample

Love like Jesus

Disciple-making disciples bring people to Jesus, disciple-making disciples live surrendered to Jesus, and disciple-making disciples love others like Jesus.

Jesus said that the way we love others would be the thing that shows the world we are His disciples:

34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:34-35 NLT

Here, Jesus connects His commands and the way we love others to what it means to be His disciple. And what is so powerful is that the ability to love others like Jesus comes from being intimately connected to Jesus and remembering the way He loves us.

9 “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. 11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! John 15:9-11 NLT

Jesus is doing two really powerful things in this passage:

1. He is inviting us into the same kind of relationship God the Son has with God the Father. That’s mind-blowingly awesome! And it’s that relationship that gives us the power to love others the same way Jesus has loved us.

2. Also, Jesus is inviting us to set down our heavy yokes and take up His yoke. Jesus’ yoke is His way of seeing and being in the world. And what Jesus says is that His yoke is easy. His burden is light.

28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 NLT

Being a disciple-making disciple is accepting Jesus’ invitation to become like Him for the sake of others. To walk with and work with Him. To take on His yoke. And embracing the yoke of Jesus is what enables us to love like Jesus. Because according to Jesus, the entire Law can be summed up with this:

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:37-40 NIV

Disciple-making disciples bring people to Jesus. Disciple-making disciples live surrendered to Jesus. And disciple-making disciples love others like Jesus.

Challenge:If you’re being honest, would you say that you live like you take Jesus seriously? Do you know what His commands are? What might it look like to teach them to others?

Pray and ask God to help you embrace Jesus’ yoke, so you can love others the way Jesus has loved you. As you love others the way Jesus loves, you teach others, by your example, how to obey and follow Him.