Lies I Believe Part 2: I Can Do It on My OwnНамуна

Jesus tells us in John 15 that when we stay connected to him, we will obey him– - and obeying him means loving one another in the same way he loved us. This is the second time Jesus gives this command to his disciples. Two chapters earlier in John 13, Jesus says, “just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (ESV). This doesn’t mean that we just put up with one another or tolerate one another– - it means that we are willing to lay down our very lives for one another.

If you love someone so much that you’d be willing to die for them, you should also love them enough to be willing to do everything up to death for them. You should be willing to sacrifice your free time, your preferences, your sleep, your finances, your control, and your reputation.Love doesn't normally typically call you to actually die for someone, but love will almost always call you to die to yourself.

The only way we could ever love others in such a sacrificial way is to have the love of Christ flowing through us. We love by abiding in his love first. We give freely to others because we receive everything we need from him. Without the hope of eternity guiding our hearts, we won’t be able to give up our lives in the way Jesus requests. We can’t do it on our own. We need the power of the Holy Spirit and the love of the Trinity to transform us.

Ask Yourself: Is my love for others so evident that people would be able to identify me as a disciple of Jesus? If I have been commanded to love others to the point of death, why can it feel so hard to love them in the smallest ways?

Pause to Pray: God, I want to be transformed by your love…

Take a Next Step: Identify three people in your life who could use more of your sacrificial love, and determine one tangible way that you can show your love to each of them.