Time Well SpentSample

Webster’s Dictionary defines love as “the unselfish loyal and benevolent concern for the good of another.” Sounds easy, right? This is the way we want to be loved. But, if we are honest, our treatment of others is not always reflective of this kind of love. Long before Jesus gave this new commandment in John, the author of Leviticus recorded God’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18). Jesus raised the standard when He encouraged His disciples to love one another “as I have loved you.” We like the kind of love that doesn’t make us feel uncomfortable, but Jesus made Himself clear. He was willing to risk suffering, pain, and even death in order to show His love for us. Jesus’s love is more than a simple commandment. It is sacrificial and borderless. And He has challenged us to love the same way.

Jesus, show me how you see people and teach me how to love them as you love them. Thank you for loving me enough to give yourself for me.