Beyond the Weekend

August 10 | Jesus is Love

August 10, 2020

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34

Read: John 13:33-35

Listen: John 13

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Jesus is staring down his execution on a Roman cross. He knows it is coming, even though those around him don’t. The crucial lesson Jesus wants his followers to understand is about love. Love is one of the central themes of his ministry, and he wants to make sure it sticks. He knows these last few discussions are vital because his disciples will remember them.

As we look into what Jesus says about love, we see that he knows he is loved, he loved others and he called us to love. It is clear from Jesus’ teaching that the love he is talking about isn’t an emotion or feeling—but a call to action. Our culture’s feelings focus makes it nearly impossible to love someone we may not agree with. A love focused on feelings fails us in conversations about things like COVID-19, racial injustice and politics.

Jesus doesn’t tell us to agree with each other but to love. We can have different opinions but still show love. We can be kind to others even when we don’t agree. We can ask questions to try to learn their view. We can seek to understand instead of focusing on convincing someone they are wrong. Jesus’ command for us to love each other can make a difference.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Ask God to help you see where you need to be loving even when you don’t feel like it. Ask him to show you where you can be kind to someone with a different viewpoint than yours.


Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.

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