Thursday Devo
Scripture Reading:
John 13
34 "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
34 "So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
Love must be the distinguishing mark of Jesus’ disciples. Jesus’ “new command” takes its point of departure from the Mosaic commands to love the Lord with all one’s powers and to love one’s neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18; cf. Deut. 6:5; Mark 12:28–33), but Jesus’ own love and teaching deepen and transform these commands. Jesus even taught love for one’s enemies (Matt. 5:43–48). The command to love one’s neighbor was not new; the newness was found in loving one another as Jesus had loved his disciples (cf. John 13:1; 15:13). In light of Jesus’ subsequent death, just as implies a love that is even willing to lay down one’s life for another (see 15:13).
Study Questions:
- A key component of any healthy marriage relationship is obviously love. But not just any kind of love. It's the love that Jesus put on display for us. It's an other's-first, self-sacrificing kind of love. It's not just saying words, it's showing it with our selfless actions. How much different would your relationships look if you worked hard to put this love into practice?
- The bottom line is this... When you want something different, BE IT. We all tend to think, "If only she would..." "If only my husband were..." We have to stop pointing our finger at the other person. Instead of griping about what your spouse ISN'T, use your energy to become who God wants you to become. What could happen in your relationships if BOTH parties would think and behave in this way? Where is it that YOU need to step in your relationship?
Pray:
- That you would learn to love the way Jesus loved.
- That you would BE the change you are looking for in your relationships.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
5. Why do I follow Jesus? I follow Jesus because Jesus rose from the dead proving that He is the way, the truth and the life.
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
(Matthew 7:24-27; John 14:6)
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