5 Ways To Love Like Jesus

With Valentine’s Day tomorrow, all things love are in the air! It is one of my favorite holidays, but I think sometimes we get caught up in the roses, chocolate, and romance of February 14th that we forget that love is so much more than the hype of Valentine’s Day. Love is of and from God.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” – 1 John 4:7-10 NIV

God loves us so deeply, perfectly and without question. Even though we are flawed and imperfect, He loves us. So much so that he took the weight of every burden and sin you have ever had and carried it in your place on the cross. It is so hard to comprehend the love He has for us.

We were created to love God and love others. This is so simple to say, but yet is so hard for us to do sometimes. We get so caught up in our lives, that we forget our purpose in this life.

“The threads of our lives are significant to the grand tapestry of God’s love. With your life, He is writing a God-sized story that will affect another’s. He will take the small seeds of love – the tiny acts of kindness that we plant today – and cause them to bloom for His kingdom purposes.” – Diana Megan

WOW. This quote brings me to my knees. God calls us to love no matter what that looks like in our lives!

HOW CAN I LOVE WELL?

1. BE ROOTED IN GOD

1 John 4:7-10 spoke about love coming from God. “Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”

We need to be rooted in God, so that we can love others well. Knowing God is being in prayer, being in scripture, and spending time with Him. Sometimes this is hard. We get so caught up in our busyness, we don’t find the time for Him. We NEED to spend time with God and be rooted in Him in order to be able to love others well as scripture calls us to do. 

2. PRAY FOR OTHERS

In scripture, Jesus prays for all, including us!

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” – John 17:20-21 NIV

We need to be in prayer for others as well. Prayer for our relationships. Prayer that we are intentional in conversations that God places us in. Prayer that we can show love to those in our lives.

OUTFIT DETAILS (affiliate links): Sweater / Bralette / Jeans (similar)

3. HAVE COMPASSION FOR OTHERS

God shows compassion and comfort, so that we can then show the same to others. How can we extend compassion/comfort/love to someone today? God places people specifically in our lives each day. When God puts a person in our lives, we should show compassion and bring them encouragement.

4. MEET THE NEEDS OF OTHERS (SACRIFICING)

This is something Jesus showed us so clearly in scripture. Jesus met the needs of everyone, from the physically impaired to those who were hungry and poor. He is an amazing example of what it means to meet the needs of others.

A story that comes to mind is Jesus feeding the 5,000 with only a few loaves of bread.

“When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Bring them here to me,” he said. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.” – Matthew 14:13-21 NIV

I think sometimes we get so caught up in our selfishness (I am so guilty of this), that we forget our calling on this earth is to love others. One way Jesus did this was by meeting the needs of others. How can we set aside our selfishness and give generously to someone in need today? Just as He fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish, He will multiply the effect of our giving when we provide what we can to share love and meet the needs of someone else.

I know so many who have so little, yet give SO generously. Sometimes I get caught up in wants (new clothes, shoes, house decor, etc), that I don’t want to give away what I have been so graciously given by God. I think this is somewhere where Jimmy balances me out in marriage because he has the BIGGEST heart and is always looking for ways to give to others.

5. FIND TIME FOR OTHERS

In scripture, Jesus always found time for others. He spent time with believers and non-believers. He pursued time with people to reveal His love to them.

In John 4, Jesus spends time with the Samaritan woman at the well.

In Mark 2, scripture talks about Jesus eating with the tax collectors and sinners.

In Luke 19, Jesus spends time at the House of Zacchaeus who was a tax collector and sinner.

Throughout the new testament, Jesus spent time with His disciples.

Ultimately, Jesus spent time with others. To show love to others, we need to find the time to spend with others. Pursue relationships with others, so that you can show love to them in the way Jesus did. Meet others where they are. Show them love. Show them the love of Christ, and hopefully one day they will experience His love and share it with others too!

(PIN IT FOR LATER BY CLICKING THE IMAGE ABOVE)

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It is crazy how blessed we are to have this perfect example of love in how Jesus walked this earth. God has given us all we need in His word and His spirit, so that we can love well. So what do you say, friends? Lets go out and love others well.

xoxo,

Ashley Welborn

Photography: Starling Hope Photography