Topic: Loving Like Jesus! – Discover the Book by Dr John Barnett 18 June 2022
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Loving Like Jesus!
” ‘And I have declared to them Your name, . . . that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.’ “-John 17:26, emphasis added
Remember: Jesus loves to see His character reflected in us. Now here are the seven remaining elements of daily life that we can give to our Beloved Bridegroom. He desires the following from each of us.
Element 4-Christlike Loving of the Unlovely: “Love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil” (Luke 6:35). Do you have a neighbor, co-worker, or relative who is unpleasant to you? Show them love and offer kindnesses in the name of Jesus!
Element 5-Christlike Serving of the Unfortunate: “When you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you; for you shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just” (Luke 14:13-14). Now look at this verse: “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me” (Matthew 25:40). Pick new social companions. Befriend the handicapped, the poor, the informally educated, the lonely, the shut-ins, the dying, the prisoners, and any others God puts in your path. That is the body of Christ-non-shockable, accepting, color blind, and incredibly generous. Make plans right now to use your house, your car, and your money to minister His love unto the least of persons, those who cannot do anything in return. And Jesus will reward you in heaven!
Element 6-Christlike Investment in People Over Things: “Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor” (1 Corinthians 3:8). Jesus counts souls invited in. He counts lives touched by the gospel, by prayer, by deeds of kindness. What have you done this week that He has counted? Have you prayed for people and given out the gospel? Investments in people last forever; investments in things don’t!
Element 7-Christlike Devotion to God’s Will: “And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:23-24). What are you called to do this week? Go to school? Then act like you are a Rhodes Scholar for Jesus. Go to work for your company? Be as productive as if it were your own. Are you home rearing children? Raise them like you were Mary raising Jesus! Elevate whatever you do as if you were doing it for Christ.
Element 8-Christlike Loving Expectancy: “There is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). Does a newlywed husband need to be told to look forward to seeing his beloved after work? Does a new mom need to be prodded into loving that sweet little bundle of joy? Long for Jesus the way He loves to be loved! He wants us to have the fervor of a newlywed with Him.
Element 9-Christlike Endurance in Trials: “That the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). What are you struggling with? If it is health, you can be rewarded for having a good attitude. If it is adversaries, you can be rewarded for how you treat them. Regardless of the type of trial, you can be rewarded for how you respond to adversities if your responses are Christlike!
Element 10-Christlike Focus on the Word: “Love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments . . . that we do not lose those things we worked for, but that we may receive a full reward” (2 John 5-8). Jesus rewards those who love Him so much that they get His Word into their lives.
Are you overflowing with the world-or the Word? Do you long for His Word more than anything else?
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