I keep coming back to this. A lot of what I am listening to right now is about love. And I am struggling to understand what does it mean to love like Jesus. What does that look like in every day ordinary life?
2Co 5:15 And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.
One might see in Christ-likeness the quality of selflessness. This seems to define āloveā.
1Co 13:4 Love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1Co 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1Co 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1Co 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.
Many people define āloveā as the emotions they feel. This can lead people to seek consumptive sensation to experience which is the opposite of biblical love which is selflessness.
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If you speak about loving like Jesus, you cannot divorce His love from His truth. Culture speaks of love in terms of softness, tolerance, and non-confrontation. A love that embraces whatever makes people feel good and reject anything uncomfortable. Jesus never loved that way. His love was holy and honest, sacrificial and always connected to the Fatherās will in all things. Scripture reveals love according to what God says, not according to how we feel.
Jesus demonstrated love in His love for people, but it never stopped Him from speaking truth to sin. He forgave the adulterous woman, then said āGo and sin no moreā ~John 8:11. That is real love. Love does not leave a person on the couch. It lifts them up then calls them out of what is destroying them. Jesus welcomed sinners and healed the sick, but He also spoke of judgment more than anyone else in the Bible. āUnless you repent, you will all likewise perishā ~Luke 13:3. That is love too because love tells the truth even when the truth is hard.
So what does loving like Jesus look like in the day to day? Scripture gives us the picture. It means being patient and kind ~1 Corinthians 13:4. It means forgiving others as Christ has forgiven you ~Ephesians 4:32. It means speaking the truth in love ~Ephesians 4:15. It means refusing to give our approval to what God calls sin ~Romans 1:32. It means caring enough to warn someone when they are on a course that will lead to destruction ~James 5:19-20.
Loving like Jesus is not being soft. It is being faithful. It is treating people the way God treats us. He is gentle, but He is also righteous. He is merciful, but He is also holy. He is patient, but does not tolerate sin. Real love hates what is evil and clings to what is good ~Romans 12:9. Jesus never sacrificed truth to make people feel accepted. He showed compassion then called people to follow Him in obedience.
If you desire to love like Jesus, fill your heart with the Word. Walk in the Spirit. Pray for people. Serve them. Be slow to anger and quick to forgive. But also be bold enough to tell someone the truth when silence will only lead to harm. The Bible says āThose whom I love, I rebuke and disciplineā ~Revelation 3:19. That is the love Jesus gives and it is the love He calls us to give.
That is how love and truth walk together in the life of the believer.
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be careful what you pray for, when you start to love like Jesus you start to feel the same pain he felt watching the lost stay lost. You will also be attacked by those who are with the enemy. I have literally got down on my knees with blood dripping from my face to pray for the person who just beat me for no reason. It still hurts my heart and every mistake I make is brought to light and rejoiced over by those who want to disprove my love. I am literally in jail now for loving and forgiving someone too many times. She has tried to have me killed and i still pray for her.
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Thank you for this thoughtful and thorough response. You have given me much to consider. I find telling the truth in Love to be the hardest for me. I know what is true in my heart and soul but keep it to myself and avoid uncomfortable, confrontational situations in my personal life. I focus on the forgiving without asking for the āgo and sin no moreā. Which in the end hurts both of us. Again, thank you.
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