(This challenge and post are sponsored by Tyndale House and the Filament Bible)
Are you participating in the #startwithchallenge with me?
I wanted to take a moment to share my favorite verse from John. In fact, Tyndale House, publisher of the Filament Bible made a video for me.
So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. (John 13:34-35 NLT)
In the “Reflect” portion of the Gospel of John app, the devotion, in part, shares this:
Love is more than simply warm feelings; it is an attitude that reveals itself in action. How can we love others as Jesus loves us? By helping when it’s not convenient, by giving when it hurts, by devoting energy to others’ welfare rather than our own, by absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back. This kind of loving is hard to do. That is why people notice when you do it and know you are empowered by a supernatural source.
I love this simple explanation of what love looks like when we love as Jesus loves us. I believe that this is the area of life on earth that Satan attacks us the most — especially within the 4 walls of the church. It is one of the reasons that our family has struggled through the years with finding (and keeping) a church home. Church hurt is a real thing and it has affected my family more than once. But tonight as I reflect upon these verses and this devotion, I’m reminded that it is not my job to worry with how other people love. We are commanded to love even while “absorbing hurts from others without complaining or fighting back.” Wow! That is a so crazy hard to do. Our human nature desires to defend, lash out, fight back. And this is the area I believe Satan uses over and over to divide. This is the reason the world does not see a difference between believers and unbelievers.
My prayer for myself, my family, and the church as a whole is that we commit to spending less time blaming and condemning and more time really loving.
What’s your favorite verse from John?
Get the FREE Start with John App
If you haven’t already, be sure to visit the Start with John website and download the free Gospel of John app and find the correlating text of the Gospel of John from the Filament Bible (NLT translation. The app will help you “study” the book of John with study notes, devotionals, videos, and maps. And, the book of John text is also on the website so you can read along as you explore the app, with correlating page numbers. Then join us in the challenge to read through the book of John. Be sure to share your thoughts on Instagram using the hashtags #startwithjohn and #filamentbible
Also, remember, for a limited time, you can purchase the Filament Bible at a discounted rate of 40% off by clicking on this link and using the code: crabtree40 through May 18.
