JANUARY 22, 2015
A
Wonderful Explosion
Read: John
13:31-35
As I have loved you, . . . you also love one another. —John 13:34
In the book Kisses
from Katie, Katie Davis recounts the joy of moving to Uganda and adopting
several Ugandan girls. One day, one of her daughters asked, “Mommy, if I let
Jesus come into my heart, will I explode?” At first, Katie said no. When Jesus
enters our heart, it is a spiritual event.
However, after she
thought more about the question, Katie explained that when we decide to give
our lives and hearts to Jesus “we will explode with love, with compassion, with
hurt for those who are hurting, and with joy for those who rejoice.” In
essence, knowing Christ results in a deep care for the people in our world.
The Bible challenges
us to “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep” (Rom.
12:15). We can consistently display this loving response because of the Holy
Spirit’s work in our hearts. When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to
live inside us. The apostle Paul described it this way, “Having believed [in
Christ,] you were sealed with the Holy Spirit” (Eph. 1:13).
Caring for others—with
God’s supernatural assistance—shows the world that we are His followers (John
13:35). It also reminds us of His love for us. Jesus said, “As I have loved
you, . . . you also love one another” (v.34).
Dear Jesus, help me to experience Your
love more deeply so that I can share it
with others. Empower me through Your
Holy Spirit so that I can glorify You.
Love
given reflects love received.
Insight
Love is one of the
most repeated themes in both John’s gospel and letters (1, 2, and 3 John).
John’s emphasis on love reflects Jesus’ own emphasis. Jesus said that He was
giving a new command when He said to love one another. But how is this a new
command? The key is not in the what, but in the how. In the law of Moses, it
was commanded to love others as we love ourselves, but Jesus set a new
standard: His love for us. In the hours before He went to the cross, He would
both tell and show that love. “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay
down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
Source:
Our Daily Bread 2012
