RelationshipsSpiritual Formation

Fresh Ways To Love Like Jesus

By June 27, 2018 No Comments

This summer, we’re all going to have some brand new opportunities- to love… and to love well. Here is some quick help:

We know that God is all about relationships. To prove this, every single thing Jesus ever taught, according to him, can be summed up in just two commandments:

#1) Love God

#2) Love others as you love yourself

As you love yourself

IMG_0415Many of us have heard (or given ) what seems like a million messages on these commands so it’s pretty easy for our eyes to glaze over when we read this. But hang on. If one of Jesus’ Top Two Most Important Rules In All of Life, is to love your neighbor as yourself there’s got to be more layers to loving than we realize.

Here are four fresh ways we’ve been seeking to practice what he preached in our own lives: 

1) We will think of others on the same level as we think of ourselves. 

We want to be done considering anyone as more important or less important than us. It looks like Jesus saw everyone on equal ground. We will focus on all our common, human similarities.

We won’t shun, degrade or dismiss people for any reason.

We will no longer measure their intelligence, bank account, beauty, religion, ethnicity or morality. In fact, when we look at others they won’t even seem like “others” at all.  They have become us.  

2) We will think of others as often as we think of ourselves.

There is no one we think of more often than we do ourselves. It’s been said that as much as 95% of our thoughts in a day are self-referential. We constantly, unconsciously and habitually think about ourselves. Almost all our thoughts and reactions are deeply centered on what has or has not happened to us in the past and what might or might not happen to us in the future.  We love our own ways of being and doing.

The most used word in every language is the word “I.”

Jesus seems to be saying, “take the same time, dedication and energy you focus on yourself and turn it to others.”

3) We will act as compassionately with others as we would ourselves. 

If we get a cut we bandage ourselves or seek treatment.  When we get hungry we feed ourselves. If we feel threatened we protect ourselves.  When we get emotionally hurt, we find ways to be comforted.  We will do whatever is necessary to mend, feed or defend ourselves. It’s instinctive.

Jesus invites us to learn to instinctively see when others have the same needs we do. We can use how we feel about our own wounds, hunger and fear as motivation to care about other people.

4) We will give away the very things we would like to receive for ourselves. 

Do you long to be understood by someone? Discipline yourself to listen to them with compassionate understanding.  Are you against violence? Then do no harm to people in the ways you promote non-violence.

Is there a special group or friendship that shuts you out? Include others in your world who have no capacity to return the attention. Have you needed help with something but when you reached out no one came? Don’t fail to show up for others in the same situation.

 

Most days, we realize that the school of love is ‘in session.’ Every circumstance and relationship is a God-given opportunity to learn to love well.  After all, that is what’s being done to us and what we were made for ourselves.

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David Loveless
David Loveless is a leadership coach, pastor to pastors and strategic, spiritual advisor to churches and businesses, throughout the world. He is the Co-Founder of "Live True." He previously served as founding pastor of Discovery Church, Orlando, Fl for 29 years. David and his wife Caron are parents of three sons and are the grandparents of their seven delightfully energized children.