Love
Jesus teaches us about love with a description of his own actions. Jesus shows how deep his love is for us by dying for our sins and creating a path to the father through him. He commands us to love one another as he has loved us first.
John 15:12-17 ESV
12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Pause for a moment and imagine the kind of love that would move someone to give up everything for their friends. This is not a distant, abstract concept—it's the radical, life-changing love Jesus demonstrates for us. He doesn’t just talk about love; he lives it out with ultimate sacrifice, inviting us to do the same in our own lives. His command is clear: we are to love one another with the same bold, selfless love he gave us, a love that knows no bounds and transforms lives.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
Unlike the profound, sacrificial love that Jesus commands, mankind often encourages a love grounded in self-interest. The world tells us, "Put yourself first—then maybe you'll have room for others." This mindset pushes us to prioritize our own needs and desires, convincing us that loving others is only possible once our personal fulfillment is achieved. Yet, this approach stands in sharp contrast to the boundless and transformative love Jesus offers.
John 15:12-17 ESV
12“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
Pause for a moment and imagine the kind of love that would move someone to give up everything for their friends. This is not a distant, abstract concept—it's the radical, life-changing love Jesus demonstrates for us. He doesn’t just talk about love; he lives it out with ultimate sacrifice, inviting us to do the same in our own lives. His command is clear: we are to love one another with the same bold, selfless love he gave us, a love that knows no bounds and transforms lives.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command you. 15 No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. 17 These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
Unlike the profound, sacrificial love that Jesus commands, mankind often encourages a love grounded in self-interest. The world tells us, "Put yourself first—then maybe you'll have room for others." This mindset pushes us to prioritize our own needs and desires, convincing us that loving others is only possible once our personal fulfillment is achieved. Yet, this approach stands in sharp contrast to the boundless and transformative love Jesus offers.