2 John 1:4-7
Verse 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands. As you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.
What it means to live in love can vary from person to person but the love that John is talking about is the love only a Christian can live out. It is the love that Jesus came to teach and it is a blessing to all who live it and to those who are there to receive it. Before we can talk about how to live it, we need to be reminded what this love looks like and what it doesn’t look like.
While some in the world would like us to think that loving someone is indulging another person in every area. Others believe it to mean letting others do whatever they want, which can lead to children being spoiled in the name of love. When that kind of thinking spilled out into society, people began feeling entitled and somehow in the midst of this modern thinking, we lost what it means to love like Christ.
So how did Christ love and how can we continue His legacy of love? We need to look no further than one of the most famous passages of Scripture to find the answer. John said in his gospel verse 3:16 that God loved the world so much that He sent His Son so believers wouldn’t have to die. This was his way of revealing that Jesus came to earth for the purpose of making God’s love known. He made God known by dying in our place. The ultimate showing of love is dying for someone.
While most of us are not going to be in a place to die for others, we do need to be aware of their needs. Not giving into their every want but making sure every need they have is being provided for to the best of our ability. That is how Jesus loved us. He knew our greatest need was redemption. We were lost in our sin and could never pay the price needed to make us right with God the Father.
If we want to live a life of love we need to see the world as God did when He sent Jesus to earth as a babe. We need to see their need of Jesus and dedicate our lives to making Him known. Loving others isn’t about pleasing them, it is about pleasing Him.
Making It Personal
How have you viewed loving the world? Is your view eternal or temporal? How can you show the love of Christ to someone today?
Making It Personal Kids
Why is it important to know how Jesus loved us? Do you care if someone loves Jesus or not? How can you help someone else know the love of Jesus?
Closing Prayer
Father, we can’t begin to thank You for Your love and sending Your Son. Give us hearts that long to reveal You to the lost around us. May we love them as You love them. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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