How To Love Like Jesus
Have you ever seen someone you know at the grocery store and quietly turned down another aisle? Or felt a little relieved when plans were canceled because you weren't particularly interested in being around people that day?
Most of us have moments like that. Life gets busy, relationships require effort, and sometimes we'd prefer to keep to ourselves. But there are also times when our reluctance to engage with others goes deeper. Someone has hurt us, we've grown frustrated with a relationship, or we're waiting for another person to make the first move.
In John 13, Jesus gives His disciples a command that challenges the way we often approach relationships. As He prepares for the cross, He tells them to love one another as He has loved them. His words invite us to examine where we've learned what love should look like and whether our relationships reflect the example He's given us.
1. Choose to Love Even When You Don't Feel Like It
We live in a culture that often treats love as something determined by our feelings. When relationships are enjoyable and people treat us well, loving them comes naturally. But when circumstances change or someone disappoints us, those feelings can disappear.
Jesus approaches love differently. In John 13:34, He gives His disciples a command to love one another. That means loving people requires intentional choices, including on days when we'd rather avoid a difficult conversation or hold on to an offense.
Think about someone you've been keeping at a distance. Maybe they've disappointed you, or perhaps you've simply allowed busyness and convenience to create separation. Following Jesus may mean taking the initiative to reconnect, extending forgiveness, or making time for someone who needs encouragement.
Our feelings are real, but they don't always lead us toward the kind of love Jesus calls us to demonstrate.
2. Let Jesus Define What Love Looks Like
When Jesus tells His disciples to love one another, He gives them a clear standard: the way He has loved them.
Earlier in John 13, Jesus does something remarkable. Knowing that His time on earth is coming to an end, He gets up from the table, wraps a towel around Himself, and begins washing His disciples' feet. This was work typically reserved for a servant, yet Jesus willingly takes on the task.
Consider who was sitting at that table. Peter would soon deny knowing Jesus, and Judas was preparing to betray Him. Jesus knew what was coming, and He still chose to serve them.
That moment reveals something important about biblical love. Jesus loved people who would disappoint Him and people who could offer Him nothing in return. His love was expressed through humility and sacrifice, even when it came at a personal cost.
As followers of Jesus, we have an opportunity to approach our relationships with that same attitude. We can choose patience when someone frustrates us, offer kindness when it isn't returned, and look for ways to serve without expecting recognition.
The more we understand how Jesus has loved us, the better equipped we become to extend that love to others.
3. Remember That Your Love Is Your Witness
In John 13:35, Jesus explains that people will recognize His disciples by the love they have for one another.
That gives our everyday relationships tremendous significance. The way we treat a coworker who disagrees with us, respond to someone who has hurt us, or care for a person in need can help others understand something about the character of Jesus.
People are paying attention to whether our actions reflect what we say we believe. Our patience, generosity, forgiveness, and willingness to serve can become visible expressions of the gospel.
This doesn't mean we'll love perfectly. There will be moments when we respond poorly or struggle to extend grace. But as we continue following Jesus, His love should increasingly shape the way we treat people.
So consider one person God has placed in your life who may be difficult to love right now. What would it look like to approach that relationship with the humility and compassion Jesus has shown you?
Maybe you need to initiate a conversation, send a message, or take a step toward forgiveness. Whatever that looks like, begin there. As we anchor our understanding of love in Jesus, the way we love others can become one of the clearest ways people see Him at work in our lives.
Reflect
Have you allowed your feelings or personal preferences to keep you from loving someone God has placed in your life?
How does Jesus washing His disciples' feet challenge the way you approach difficult relationships?
Who is one person you could intentionally show Christlike love to this week?
Pray
Father,
Thank You for loving me with patience and grace, even when I haven't deserved it. Help me understand Your love more deeply and allow it to shape the way I treat the people around me.
Show me where I've allowed frustration, hurt, or convenience to keep me from loving others well. Give me humility to serve, courage to forgive, and wisdom to know how to respond in difficult relationships.
Help me follow the example of Jesus so that my words and actions reflect Your love to the people You've placed in my life.
In Jesus' name, Amen.