20 April

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  • As I have Loved you

    John 13:34 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

    In John 13:34, Jesus delivers a command that goes beyond ordinary kindness or politeness—it is a divine imperative, rooted in the example of His own love. He doesn’t simply say, “love each other”—He qualifies it: “as I have loved you.”

    This is a radical, sacrificial, and unconditional kind of love. The same love that washed the feet of His disciples (John 13:5), that forgave sinners, that showed compassion to the outcasts, and ultimately, the love that would lay down its life on the cross (John 15:13).

    Jesus is not speaking about a feeling, but a choice. A commandment—not a suggestion. And it’s new, not in the sense that love itself is new (see Leviticus 19:18), but in the standard by which love is now measured: Christ Himself.

    To love as Jesus loved means:

    • To forgive as He forgave (Luke 23:34)

    • To serve without seeking reward (Mark 10:45)

    • To welcome the unlovable (Matthew 9:10-13)

    • To pursue peace, grace, and truth in every relationship

    This kind of love is the mark of true discipleship. In the very next verse (John 13:35), Jesus says: “By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.” Our love testifies to the world who we belong to.

    Love is not optional for the believer—it is the essence of Christian living. To love as Christ loves is to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), to fulfill the law (Romans 13:10), and to reveal God to a watching world (1 John 4:12).

    Prayer

    Heavenly Father, Thank You for the love You have shown me through Jesus Christ—unearned, unending, and unconditional. Teach me to love others not based on how I feel, but based on how You love. Help me to be patient when it’s hard, forgiving when I’m hurt, and kind when it’s not returned.
    Lord, I want to reflect Your heart. Let my words, my actions, and even my thoughts be shaped by Your command: to love as You have loved me. Strengthen me by Your Spirit to live this love out daily. In Jesus’ name,

    Related Bible Verses

    • 1 John 4:11 (KJV)

    • Ephesians 5:2 (KJV)
      “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God…”

    • Colossians 3:14 (KJV)
      “And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.”

    • Romans 13:10 (KJV)
      “Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”

    • John 15:12 (KJV)
      “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.”

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