Discovering Why We Can't Love Like Jesus
All of us want to love like Jesus. We want to be generous, forgiving, and compassionate enough to love people unconditionally. But no matter how hard we try, it just doesn't work. Our humanness gets in the way. Jesus was human too, but he was also God incarnate. He was able to see the people he created in a way that we can't. He personified love. In fact, the Apostle John said, "God is love..." (1 John 4:16, ESV)
You and I are not love. We can love, but we can't do it perfectly. We see others' faults and stubbornness. When we remember the slights they have done to us, a small part of us can't forgive. We refuse to make ourselves as vulnerable as Jesus did because we know we'll get hurt again. We love and at the same time we hold back. Yet Jesus tells us to love as he did: "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another." (John 13:34, ESV)
Love Like Jesus Through Abiding
We don't get very far before we learn the Christian life is impossible. Jesus gave us the key, however: "With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God." (Mark 10:27, ESV)
We can't love like Jesus on our own. In fact, we can't do anything in the Christian life on our own. When we see a selfless Christian saint who can love like Jesus, we can be sure that person is abiding in Christ and he in her. What would be too hard on our own, we can do through this act of abiding. We continue to abide by reading the Bible, praying, and attending church with other believers. In this way our trust in God is built up. As we abide in Jesus, we learn to know him better and trust him more. Cautiously, we reach out to others. We love them. The greater our trust in Christ, the greater our compassion will be.
PRAYER: Dear God, This is a lifelong challenge. When we are rebuffed, we have the choice to draw back or give our hurt to You and try again. Abiding in You is what matters. Help me live that truth, so that i can begin to love like You. Amen.