Loving the Way Jesus Loved Us
Month 10: Loving One Another · Memory Verse
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
“A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.”— John 13:34 (BSB)memorize this week
📖 Bible-in-a-Year (optional)
Today's reading: Psalm 126; Psalm 147; Psalm 148; Psalm 149; Psalm 150
Reading the whole Bible in a year — do this when you have extra time.The Heart of It
Today we slow down and hide our verse deep in our hearts. Read it again slowly. Listen for the four little words at the center. "As I have loved you." Those words turn an impossible-sounding command into good news. Jesus is not saying, "Try harder to be nice." He is saying, "Look at how I have loved you. Now let that flow out of you to one another." The love He's asking for is not something we have to manufacture. It's something we have first received from Him.
So how did Jesus love us? He loved us patiently, when we were slow to understand. He loved us faithfully, when we were unfaithful. He loved us humbly, kneeling down to wash feet. And finally He loved us sacrificially, laying down His life for us at the cross (). When we memorize , we're not just learning words. We're learning the shape of a whole life. A family can say this verse together at breakfast and then snap at each other by lunch. That family hasn't really learned it yet. The goal is for the verse to travel the eighteen inches from our heads to our hands, until "love one another" is just how our home runs.
Around the Table
Our verse says love one another the way Jesus loves us. Let's say it together with a big smile!
Let's do it: Clap a beat while you repeat: "Love — one — another!" three times.
The most important words are "as I have loved you." Jesus loved us first so we can love others.
Let's talk: Can you say the whole verse from memory? Try it, then teach it to a younger sibling.
A memorized verse is meant to move from your mind to your hands. Loving "as Jesus loved" includes patience, humility, and sacrifice.
Let's go deeper: Pick one part of how Jesus loves (patient, faithful, humble, sacrificial) and live it out today.
💬 Conversation Starter
What's the longest thing you've ever memorized? Maybe a song, a poem, or a verse. Today we add one that can change a whole family!
🛡️ Defending the Faith
Why trust the words of John's Gospel? John was an eyewitness. He sat right next to Jesus at this very supper (). And he wrote, "we beheld His glory" (). His testimony was written down while other people who were there were still alive. That's exactly the kind of evidence we'd want ().
For Dad · Go Deeper
Memory work is one of the simplest and most overlooked tools of discipleship. And it's tailor-made for a busy father. You don't need a lesson plan. You need repetition woven into ordinary moments. In the car. At the table. On the stairs. Scripture memorized becomes Scripture the Holy Spirit can bring back to your children in the moment they need it most, years from now, when you're not even in the room. Don't aim for a perfect performance. Aim for warm, frequent, low-pressure reps. And memorize it yourself first. Your kids are far more likely to treasure what they see Dad treasuring.
Draws on: Paul Tripp, Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles.
Let's Pray Together
"Father, thank You for Your Word that we can carry in our hearts. Help us not just to know this verse but to live it. Help us love one another the very way Jesus has loved us. By Your Spirit, write it deep inside us. In Jesus' name, amen."
The four most important words: "as I have loved you."