Love One Another as Jesus Loved
Month 5: Jesus — God With Us · Loving Others
Today's Scripture
Read together: John 13:34–35
34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
Memory Verse
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep.”— John 10:11 (BSB)
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalm 111; Psalm 112; Psalm 113; Psalm 114; Psalm 115
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time. (Around Day 147 of 365 — praising the God who lifts up the lowly.)The Heart of It
It was the last night before the cross. Jesus gave His friends what He called "a new commandment." He said, "Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another" (). What made it new wasn't the idea of loving people. God had always said to love your neighbor. The new part was the measuring stick. It was these words: "as I have loved you." Just minutes earlier, Jesus had knelt down and washed His disciples' dirty feet. That was the job of the lowest servant. And within a day, He would lay down His life for them. That is the love we're called to copy. Not just warm feelings. Humble love. Serving love. Sacrificing love that puts others first.
Then Jesus said something stunning. He said, "By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (). He didn't say the world would know His followers by how much Bible they know. Or by how loud they worship. Or by how right they are in an argument. The badge He chose was love. Especially love inside His family. And the very first people who watch your family love each other are the ones living under your roof. Picture a home where a brother or sister forgives quickly. Where someone says "I'm sorry." Where the strong serve the weak. That home is preaching the gospel every single day. The Good Shepherd laid down His life. Now He teaches His little flock to lay down their lives for one another in a thousand small ways.
Around the Table
Jesus wants us to love each other. We do it by sharing, by helping, and by saying "I'm sorry." That shows we're His!
Let's do it: Do one kind thing for someone right now. Give a hug, or share a toy, or lend a helping hand.
Jesus loved by serving. He even washed dirty feet. He says love is how people know we belong to Him.
Let's talk: What's one way you could serve someone in our family this week, even if no one notices?
The measure isn't to love just a little. It's to love "as I have loved you." That means all the way, even when it costs us. Love is the badge of a real disciple.
Let's go deeper: Why do you think Jesus chose love, not knowledge or being right, as the sign of His followers?
💬 Conversation Starter
What's a chore nobody likes doing? Jesus did the lowest, dirtiest job of all. He washed feet. He did it to show that love serves. Who could you surprise by doing their chore for them?
🛡️ Defending the Faith
People sometimes say Christianity has done a lot of harm in history. We can humbly agree that people who carry Jesus' name have failed badly. But Jesus' actual command is self-giving love. And where that love is truly followed, it builds hospitals, frees slaves, and lifts the poor. So judge the message by its Author. He washed feet, and He died for His enemies.
For Dad · Go Deeper
This is a sobering verse for the home. The most powerful evidence of the gospel your children will ever see is the way the adults in their house love. It can also be the most damaging evidence, if that love is missing. They will weigh your claims about Jesus against your patience at the end of a long day. They will weigh it against your willingness to apologize first, and against how you speak to their mother. None of us can love like Jesus on our own strength. That is exactly why this command comes right after the promise of the indwelling Spirit (). The love we're commanded to give is first the love we receive, and then let flow through us. So lead by repenting out loud when you fail. A father who says "I was wrong; will you forgive me?" is showing his children that grace is real.
Draws on: Paul Tripp, Parenting; Tony Evans, Kingdom Family.
Let's Pray Together
"Jesus, You loved us all the way to the cross. Fill our home with that kind of love. Make us quick to serve. Make us quick to forgive. Then the world will know we are Yours. In Jesus' name, amen."
The world knows I belong to Jesus by how I love. So today, I love like He did.