ACTS OF LOVE AND DISCIPLESHIP
Denise Linton
Today’s Scripture: “ 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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35, ESV)
Theme: Being a disciple maker is only possible through love.
SOMEONE TO FOLLOW
Have you ever looked up to someone and wanted to be like them? Who is that person in your life? The Bible tells us that we are to be more like Jesus, ...and the way to do that is to show love. When we love others, we are imitators of God and allow those who do not know Him the opportunity to feel His love through us.
LOVE EQUALS ACTION
We hear all the time that “love” is a word to describe a feeling or an emotion. Yet it has become so watered-down that we use it to describe everything from a strong relationship to how we feel about hot dogs. Jesus didn’t just go around telling everyone that He loved them; He put love into action. He healed the sick and fed the poor. He showed compassion for those who had been cast out of society and those who were hurting, both spiritually and emotionally. The ultimate act of love was giving His life upon the cross so that we could spend eternity with God, our Father. The love you show someone could be the difference in his life or her eternity.
TO BE KNOWN AND LOVED
In Luke 19, we learn of a sinful tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus who went to great lengths to see Jesus as He walked through the city. It’s a fact that unkind, unpleasant, unlovable people still want to be known and loved, even though they may not act like it. Jesus went out of His way to call Zacchaeus by name; He made him feel loved and known. Zacchaeus had heard about Jesus, but it wasn’t until Jesus took the time to acknowledge him that his heart was changed. We can share the Gospel of Jesus through our words, but unless we are backing it up with the actions of love, many, like Zacchaeus, will remain watchers in the tree, not members of the family of God. Unless we are inviting others to come and join us, they may be watching but never experiencing a change in their eternal destiny.
Make it Personal: Who in my life needs to be known and loved? Through my actions of love, who can I introduce to Jesus this week?
Pray: Dear Father, I long to be like Jesus. When I get tired of trying to follow, will You stir up in me a desire to please You? Today specifically, I ask You to pour out the love of God through me. I ask for an indiscriminate, lavish love for those that I find hard to love in my own humanness. Father, I ask for a filling of the Holy Spirit that would give me eyes to see the need and hurt, and the boldness to reach out in love to share Jesus. In His Name I pray. Amen.
Read: Ephesians 5:1-2; Luke 19:1-10
Weekly Memory Verse: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20, ESV)