Jesus Loved His Friends
OPENING PRAYER:
Jesus, open my eyes to the community around me
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
REFLECT:
Jesus spent the most important years of his life and ministry surrounded by a group of followers who were his closest friends. As they looked to him for wisdom, they lived their lives together. They ate together, travelled together, learned together, and spent plenty of raw, real moments together.
Jesus didn’t require praise from his followers. He didn’t want to be a celebrity. In fact, he served in incredibly humble ways. He showed what true leadership looks like and set an example of how to lower ourselves in service of those we love.
APPLY:
Jesus showed us just how vital it is that we spend time in community with others. He showed us what it looks like to have friends and fellow believers that we can do life with.
It’s crucial to our lived experience of faith that we walk in tandem with others. Take the step to join a Home Team, volunteer with a group, and seek out relationships with others in your congregation. Look for ways to serve others in humble ways. Seek out opportunities to serve without any recognition. Use your gifts and talents as an offering to the glory of God. Lead others to the throne as you follow Jesus’s example. As you seek to better yourself, seek better relationships with God and others.
CLOSING PRAYER:
Jesus, thank you for your example. Show me how to follow in your footsteps and how I can live in community well