We Thrive When We Love Others
OPENING PRAYER:
Jesus, help us to open our eyes and hearts to the world around us.
READ:
“The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:31 (NIV)
REFLECT:
Jesus told us that there were no more important things than these: to love God and to love your neighbor. We focused yesterday on our love for God. So how do we follow out the second part of our mission – loving our neighbors – and why is it so important?
You are loved. We know that full well as we see Jesus’ life and sacrifice, reflect on the Father’s faithfulness, and recognize the Spirit’s guidance for us. When you know that you are loved beyond reason, it is a natural extension of that to love others beyond reason. Jesus loved us above and beyond what we can fathom, and he commanded us to love others just as he loved us.
When we carry out Jesus’ mission, we are met with a joy that is difficult to describe. When we are in sync with what God and the Spirit are opening doors for us to do, we get to be a part of the most important mission of all – reflecting God’s love for all his creation. There is no mission that is more fulfilling than this.
APPLY:
Jesus was the ultimate example for us as we go about this work. He didn’t just love those who had it all together and were already doing the right things. He didn’t just love the rich and the powerful. He didn’t even just love those who agreed with him or loved him back.
He loved those in shackles – physical and emotional ones. He loved those in pain and those who wept. He loved those who struggled to understand who he was, and he loved those who were hungry. He loved those who were broken and those who were cast aside by society. He loved all genders and ages. He loved out of everything that he was.
If we are to follow Jesus’ example, we must seek out ways to love those around us. Jesus loves the hungry, the naked, the stranger, the fatherless, the widow, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the grieving…do we?
As we head into Easter weekend, let’s be honest with ourselves and with each other and seek out ways to love God and love others better. Where can you be better and more obedient at this?
CLOSING PRAYER:
Father, Son, and Spirit – thank you for your work in my heart and in my life. Show me how I can further your mission and step out in faith every day.