Love Like Jesus

I have been the busiest person ever lately-which means no down time to write, BUT I finally got to this past weekend! 

So this weekend, two words have been on my heart and on Sunday the message was even about those two words (the message was awesome and Ill be using a few quotes from it) - so I felt it only fitting to talk about them; Love and Forgiveness.  As humans, these are two of the hardest things to show. 

Lets start with John 13: 34-38.

34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”

Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”

37 Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.”

38 Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

  So first I want to talk about everyone’s favorite thing- love.  God calls us to love one another as He has loved us.  But do we really realize what He is asking?? Do we realize how loved we are by Him? Christ literally loved us to death with an unconditional love.  Love is not just about the warm and fuzzy feelings.   Like my pastor said this weekend, with love there is also an element that can cause pain- Jesus took that pain of love upon himself. "There is honestly no limit to what Jesus will do for us." (For all my “Mean Girls” fans… The Limit Does Not Exist) but seriously! "Jesus loves selflessly, sacrificially, understandingly, and forgivingly." Love begins with the church, if we don’t love each other with a Christlike love, how on earth do we expect anyone else to accept how we love our God or even how our God loves them?  

This passage also mentions Peter’s betrayal and how he denies Jesus three times; but he received forgiveness. I don’t know about you but I have betrayed Jesus, maybe not in the same way Peter did, but I definitely have. When that happens, regret kicks in and lies about myself start to form, I don’t feel worthy of the love He has to offer.. BUT JESUS is a restorer. Just like Peter was restored and forgiven, so can we be restored daily. No matter how many times we fail Him, He forgives, He loves, and He we restores.  We are called back to serve, called back to be loved, and called back to be forgiven. Respond to the love God pours on us daily, accept the forgiveness and grace, and have that same Christlike attitude in your daily lives. Let’s love like Jesus does.