Every day Jesus sends us out saying, “Go. I’m sending you out and I’m going with you.” Luke 10:3 and John 14:18 BLT [Bud Lamb Translation]
To go like Jesus is to go love like Jesus.
Love knows no limit to its endurance, no end to its trust, no fading of its hope; it can outlast anything. It is, in fact, the one thing that still stands when all else has fallen. 1 Corinthians 13:7-8a, Phillips Translation
I don’t know about you, but I can’t love like this. My love seems to have limits. It seems foolish to love like this.
And for us men, this kind of love is pretty much required of us as Christ followers. In Ephesians 5 it says, “Husbands love your wives as Christ loved the Church.”
In 1 Corinthians 13 it says, “…no matter what I say, what I believe, and what I do, I’m bankrupt without love.”
So what does this mean? What does love look like? How do I do this? In my journal I wrote down these things that I need to do if I want to love like a foolish lover that Jesus is.
- Resist resentment.
- Check my attitude.
- Choose compassion.
- Be first to forgive.
- Remain engaged. Refuse to disengage or withdraw.
Each day, I stand at the fork in the road with my wife, family, friends, and I ask myself, “Will I love like Jesus or not?” And that’s really the key question.
Romans 5:8 says, But God demonstrated his own love for us in this. While we were yet still sinners, Christ died for us.
He didn’t wait for us to be good enough. Don’t wait. Real love goes first.
Prayer: You love me as I am, not as I should be. I want to go love the same way. Help me love as you love today. God help me love like you – being patient, kind, and forgiving. Today, help me go love. Amen.