How can I love like Jesus?

Love like Jesus

Love. It’s a big deal to God. He started it first by loving us, and He calls us to love others. Sounds pretty easy right? Love others. Sure it’s easy to love our friends, to love those who love us, to love those in the church, to love those who think we are pretty great. But what about loving those that we really don’t like, or worse, those we really can’t stand? Surely Jesus wasn’t talking about THAT, was He?

This passage from Luke is talking EXACTLY about that!

“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

 “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Luke 6:27-36 NASB

If you look closely in this passage, you will not see much about feelings but about actions. Love is an emotion, yes, but it is not just an emotion. It is a way of life: actions, speech, thoughts. It is very possible to live out love in our lives toward those we strongly dislike without having to feel all gushy. How is this possible?

  • He has given us His Spirit

The Holy Spirit in us gives us strength and power to do things that, in our own strength, would be impossible. Learning to listen to the Spirit’s promptings as He guides us in ways to love others is the most important step in learning to love like Jesus.

  • He calls us to live like Jesus

Part of our salvation is called sanctification – the changing of our lives to conform to the mind, heart and character of Jesus. As we surrender our hearts He begins a transformation process, kind of like the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. God is changing us from the inside out. He is purifying us. A jeweler will take unrefined gold and melt it. When he does, impurities float to the surface and he skims it off. This is called the dross. This refining process is done 7 times to remove all the impurities within the gold. After all the dross is finally skimmed off, what is left is the perfect reflection of the jeweler in the melted gold: pure and undefiled. THIS is what God does in our lives, if we let Him. He calls us to be the reflection of Jesus – so that when others look at us, they see Him.

  • He gives us grace

God doesn’t just throw us out into the world and say, “Stop complaining, just do it!” He gives us all the abilities we need to obey His will. He gives this to us by His grace. When we walk in faith and obedience, believing He will give us the power to love like Jesus, His grace flows over and through us to do His will.

So, are you willing to step out in faith that God will give you the power to love those unlovable people around you? Are you willing to be the physical hands and feet of Jesus to those you dislike and love them beyond reason? Are you willing to love like Jesus?

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(image courtesy of: Boians Cho Joo Young/Freedigitalphotos.net)

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