Loving Like Jesus Loved

T

his morning, as I was praying for a dear friend, I asked God, “how can we love someone who has chosen to harm us? What does that kind of love look like?” This person has suffered great hurt, and I know they want to live like the Savior, but HOW on earth can we love like that?

Well, as swiftly as I openend my Bible program to my daily reading, God had the answer in PLAIN writing. I use the NLT for my daily readings, even though I use the ESV or NASB for study. Here I’m using the NLT because that’s what I read this morning when God answered my prayer:

John 13:1-5

Before the Passover celebration, Jesus knew that his hour had come to leave this world and return to his Father. He now showed the disciples the full extent of his love. It was time for supper, and the Devil had already enticed Judas, son of Simon Iscariot, to carry out his plan to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel he had around him.

To love like Jesus loved:

1. Act on what you KNOW not what you feel.
   Jesus KNEW that His hour had come—He didn’t have much longer to demonstrate His love to His disciples
   Jesus KNEW who He was, and what His destiny was. It didn’t matter what others thought, or how they treated Him. Because of what He knew, He could get up and serve even the one who would betray Him.
2. SHOW your love—demonstrate it.
   “Knowing these things, He SHOWED the full extent of His love to His disciples.” His love wasn’t a warm, fuzzy feeling that made Him want to show affection. His love, based on knowledge, was an active love; a love that was busy demonstrating regardless of how He felt.
3. GO! Get up and serve—even the ones who will betray you.
   To love like Jesus loves requires deliberate action on our part. Because we know whose we are and what our destiny is, we can serve even those who do not deserve our love. We can wash the dirty, smelly feet that will carry them to the next betrayal; even if it is the betrayal that will cost us our life. Jesus forgave Judas, even before He betrayed him. He did not require payment for the betrayal in Judas’ heart. He didn’t withhold from Judas what He gave to the other disciples, who also would disperse when He was arrested.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8a

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

I pray that I may be more diligent in my demonstration of love toward those who were valuable enough that Jesus would die for them. I cannot consider whether they deserve my love if I am to love like Jesus loved. I simply need to demonstrate my love to them in serving them.