Father, Holy Father, Abba. I am Your child, dearly loved and treasured. You made the ultimate sacrifice for me. You died on a cross, a criminal’s death. For me. Thank You. And what am I to do? You want me to love You with all my heart, mind, body and soul. And …
You want me to love others as You loved me. You are my role model. Your Word reveals that You cared for the most unloved—the leper, the tax collector, the maimed and the one with no voice. Yet, You didn’t reject others—the well off, the healthy, those who rejected You, even those in authority (the Roman soldier). You embraced them. So, “others” means everyone—friend, stranger and foe.
And then there’s “love.” What does that mean exactly? Well, You fed, You healed, You shared meals with, You prayed for, You celebrated with, You cried with, You defended, You taught, You scolded when needed, You even humbled Yourself to serve, and so much more.
Would I do those things for others—my friend, the stranger and my foe? Would I humble myself to, or for them? Would I care for them in a self sacrificing way? I’m pretty sure I would feed, share, and celebrate with them. But what about the hard stuff? You did the hard stuff for me.
Holy Spirit, work in me this week to reveal what You want me to do in response to Your command—loving others as You love me. What does this entail? Who are the “others”? What are the ways to love that I may not have considered? When should I do it—even when it’s inconvenient? Show me this week.
Father God, You are my strength and my salvation. I need You to do this. Today, I invite You into my heart, my mind, my body and my soul. Saturate me in Your Presence and lead me into and through this week to love others as You love me.
In the Awe Striking Love of Jesus I pray.
Amen.
