Embracing Divine Love: A Call to Love Others

Devotional

Day 1: Dependence on the Father's Love

Jesus' commandment to love one another as He loved us is deeply rooted in our dependence on the Father's love. Jesus, though fully divine, chose to love by drawing strength from the Father's love, demonstrating that our ability to love others genuinely comes from immersing ourselves in God's love. This dependence is not a sign of weakness but a source of strength, enabling us to love sacrificially and unconditionally. By looking to the Father, we find the capacity to love beyond our human limitations, reflecting the divine love that Jesus exemplified. [04:34]

Ephesians 3:17-19 (ESV): "So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."

Reflection: In what ways can you intentionally immerse yourself in God's love today to better love those around you?

Day 2: Seeking the Father's Embrace

The story of the prodigal son teaches us to look to the Father in our moments of failure and sin. Instead of turning inward or blaming others, we are encouraged to seek God's face, knowing He is eager to embrace us. The prodigal son's decision to return to his father is a powerful reminder that God's love is always available, ready to welcome us back with open arms. This act of looking up to the Father is a transformative step, allowing us to experience His grace and forgiveness, which in turn empowers us to extend the same love to others. [08:10]

Isaiah 55:6-7 (ESV): "Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."

Reflection: When you face failure or sin, how can you practice turning to God instead of relying on your own strength or blaming others?

Day 3: Communion with the Father

Jesus' life was a continuous communion with the Father, drawing love and strength from Him. This relationship is our model, inviting us to experience the Father's love and understand the cost of that love, symbolized by the slain lamb. By embracing this divine relationship, we are transformed, gaining a deeper understanding of the sacrificial love that Jesus demonstrated. This communion with the Father is not just about receiving love but also about being empowered to share that love with others, reflecting the heart of God in our daily interactions. [11:44]

John 15:9-10 (ESV): "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love."

Reflection: How can you cultivate a deeper communion with God today, allowing His love to transform your heart and actions?

Day 4: Loving Those Who Hurt Us

Loving others, especially those who have hurt us, requires examining our hearts. Jesus exemplified this by washing the feet of His disciples, including Judas, who would betray Him. This act of love was not about the task itself but about demonstrating profound love for those who would desert Him. Our call is to ensure our hearts are not dry and parched but flowing with rivers of living water, even towards those who have wronged us. By doing so, we reflect the unconditional love of Christ, breaking the cycle of hurt and extending grace to those who need it most. [35:47]

Romans 12:20-21 (ESV): "To the contrary, 'if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."

Reflection: Who in your life has hurt you, and how can you begin to extend Christ's love and forgiveness to them today?

Day 5: Transforming Our Hearts

The commandment to love one another is not just about actions but about the condition of our hearts. We are called to transform our hearts from dry, parched lands to ones overflowing with love, even in challenging relationships. This transformation requires us to examine our hearts, ensuring they are aligned with God's love and grace. By allowing God's love to flow through us, we become vessels of His peace and reconciliation, impacting those around us with the love that Jesus commanded us to share. [42:10]

Ezekiel 36:26-27 (ESV): "And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules."

Reflection: What steps can you take today to allow God to transform your heart, making it more receptive to His love and more willing to love others?

Sermon Summary

In John 13:34, Jesus introduces a profound new commandment to His disciples: "Love one another as I have loved you." This commandment is not just a reiteration of loving one's neighbor but a deeper call to love with the same sacrificial and unconditional love that Jesus demonstrated. The essence of this commandment lies in understanding how Jesus loved us. He loved not by default but by dependence on the Father's love. Jesus, though fully God, chose to love by receiving the Father's love, showing us that our strength to love others comes from immersing ourselves in God's love.

The story of the prodigal son illustrates this beautifully. When confronted with his sin, the prodigal son didn't look inward or blame others; he looked to his father. This act of looking up to the Father is a powerful reminder for us to seek God's face in our trials and failures. The father's response to the prodigal son, running to meet him, mirrors God's eagerness to embrace us when we turn to Him.

Jesus' life was a testament to this divine love. He constantly looked to the Father, drawing strength and love from Him. This relationship between the Father and the Son is the model for our own lives. We are invited to sit on the Father's lap, to experience His love, and to understand the cost of that love, symbolized by the slain lamb in heaven. This understanding transforms our perspective, enabling us to love others as Jesus loved us.

The commandment to love one another is especially challenging when it involves those who have hurt us. Jesus exemplified this by washing the feet of His disciples, including Judas, who would betray Him. This act wasn't about the menial task but about the profound love for those who would desert Him. Our call is to examine our hearts and ensure they are not dry and parched but flowing with rivers of living water, even towards those who have wronged us.

Key Takeaways

1. Jesus' commandment to love one another as He loved us is rooted in dependence on the Father's love. Just as Jesus drew strength from the Father, we too must immerse ourselves in God's love to love others genuinely. [04:34]
2. The story of the prodigal son teaches us to look to the Father in our moments of failure and sin. Instead of looking inward or blaming others, we should seek God's face, knowing He is eager to embrace us. [08:10]
3. Jesus' life was a continuous communion with the Father, drawing love and strength from Him. This relationship is our model, inviting us to experience the Father's love and understand the cost of that love, symbolized by the slain lamb. [11:44]
4. Loving others, especially those who have hurt us, requires examining our hearts. Jesus demonstrated this by washing the feet of His disciples, including Judas. Our love should flow like rivers of living water, even towards those who have wronged us. [35:47]
5. The commandment to love one another is not just about actions but about the condition of our hearts. We are called to transform our hearts from dry, parched lands to ones overflowing with love, even in challenging relationships. [42:10]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:23] - Introduction to the New Commandment
[01:03] - Two Parts of the Commandment
[02:15] - How Jesus Loved Us
[04:34] - Dependence on the Father's Love
[07:31] - The Prodigal Son's Response
[09:37] - Looking to the Father
[11:44] - Communion Between Father and Son
[14:09] - Jesus' Relationship with the Father
[19:27] - The Slain Lamb in Heaven
[22:50] - Cost of the Father's Love
[27:04] - Loving One Another
[32:43] - Jesus' Love for His Disciples
[35:47] - Loving Those Who Hurt Us
[42:10] - Transforming Our Hearts

Bible Study Guide

Bible Study Discussion Guide

Bible Reading:

John 13:34 - "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."
John 15:9 - "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love."
Luke 15:11-32 - The Parable of the Prodigal Son

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Observation Questions:

What are the two parts of the new commandment Jesus gives in John 13:34? How do they relate to each other? [01:03]
How does Jesus describe the way He loved His disciples in John 15:9? What does this reveal about the source of His love? [02:32]
In the story of the prodigal son, what was the son's response when he realized his sin, and how did the father react? [08:10]
How did Jesus demonstrate love to His disciples, including Judas, during the Last Supper? What does this act signify? [35:47]

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Interpretation Questions:

What does it mean to love others as Jesus loved us, and how does dependence on the Father's love play a role in this commandment? [04:34]
How does the story of the prodigal son illustrate the importance of looking to the Father in times of failure and sin? What can we learn from the father's eagerness to embrace his son? [09:14]
Why is the relationship between the Father and the Son described as a model for our own lives? How does this relationship invite us to experience the Father's love? [11:44]
How does Jesus' act of washing the disciples' feet, including Judas', challenge our understanding of love and forgiveness towards those who have wronged us? [35:47]

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Application Questions:

Reflect on a time when you found it difficult to love someone who hurt you. How can immersing yourself in God's love help you to love them as Jesus did? [04:34]
In moments of personal failure or sin, do you tend to look inward or blame others? How can you practice looking to the Father for guidance and forgiveness, as demonstrated in the story of the prodigal son? [08:10]
Consider your current relationship with God. How can you deepen your communion with the Father to draw strength and love, similar to Jesus' relationship with the Father? [11:44]
Identify someone in your life who has wronged you. What steps can you take to ensure your heart is not a dry, parched land but flowing with rivers of living water towards them? [36:33]
How can you transform your heart from being dry and parched to one overflowing with love, especially in challenging relationships? What practical steps can you take this week to begin this transformation? [42:10]
Reflect on the cost of love as symbolized by the slain lamb in heaven. How does understanding this cost impact your willingness to love others sacrificially? [19:27]
Think of a person who tests your patience. What is a short prayer you can say before the next time you interact with that person to help you respond with love? [36:11]

Sermon Clips

In John 13:34, Jesus gives us the new commandment: "that you love one another even as I have loved you." So, even as Jesus has loved me, that's how I'm supposed to love others—not by any other measurement, not by any other form of looking at how to love. [00:01:03]

Jesus himself didn't just choose to love us. He didn't do it saying, "I'm God, I am love, I'm fully God, I'm just gonna love you." No, he came fully God and fully man, and as far as I can tell, he gave up equality with God to where he could just love by default. [00:03:05]

Jesus loved by dependence. He loved by receiving the love of God as a Father, and that shows me Jesus as a helpless person first saying, "Lord, Father, I must first receive your love, and as I see you receiving your love to me in that way, I will love other people." [00:04:21]

The story of the prodigal son transformed my life. I saw it in a picture where the picture was not showing the prodigal son's face but showing the father's face. He didn't even know what the son looked like. All we see is the father's face. [00:10:04]

The life of Jesus was primarily a beautiful communion between the Father and the Son. We have to take a step back and see ourselves as the third party in the story of Jesus for a moment. We have to take ourselves back and see Father and the Son and the beautiful life that Jesus lived. [00:11:44]

Jesus was practicing what he had always used, demonstrating what he had always practiced, what he was preaching when he said, "Love your enemies, do good." And these are the people he loved to the very end. My nature cannot fathom that instinct. [00:35:47]

God's asking me to look at my heart and saying, "Is there a dry, parched land, or is there rivers of living water?" Maybe it's neither, but which one is it closer to? Maybe a trickle of water every now and then of love, but then dry. [00:37:43]

The commandment to love one another is especially directed for me to those to whom it is very difficult, maybe because of past hurts, because of present issues, maybe because of biases, maybe because of prejudices. Whatever it is, God's probing there and saying it's those areas. [00:41:36]

Jesus said, John 7:37, on the last day of the feast, "Do you have a parched land towards other people? Is your land dry towards somebody in your life, and you're looking for rivers of living water to come out towards them? Come to me and drink." [00:42:10]

We can draw near, we can sit on the Father's lap, we can see the slain lamb, but then God takes us out and says, "Go, so send I you. As the Father sent me, I am sending you now to love others just as I have loved you." [00:43:40]

The story of the prodigal son and the father ends with this statement: "And the father and the son began to celebrate." That's the end of the story for the younger son. We don't know what happens after that because then the older son comes in. [00:45:15]

God's commandment to love one another is especially in the context of Jesus washing the disciples' feet, the people who are going to betray him and the people who are going to desert him. I apply that to say God's commandment to love one another is especially directed for me. [00:46:48]

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Embracing Divine Love: A Call to Love Others

Devotional

Day 1: Dependence on the Father's Love

Day 2: Seeking the Father's Embrace

Day 3: Communion with the Father

Day 4: Loving Those Who Hurt Us

Day 5: Transforming Our Hearts

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Chatbot

Embracing Divine Love: A Call to Love Others

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