In his book “Irresistible” Andy Stanley writes: “Jesus made love a verb and then used the imperative form of the verb. This was, in fact, a command. As in, “go over there and love that guy.” The verse he is referring to is John 13:34: “A new command I give you; Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” The disciples sitting around the table that night, did not have the cross as the ultimate expression of Jesus’ love. They did have three years experiencing and watching Him though. Think about how…

* Mary Magdalene was tormented by demons. Jesus healed her and stopped the torment. She was then included in the ministry of Jesus.
* Matthew, a tax collector, was despised by everyone he knew and his family was ashamed by what he did. Jesus came and called him to follow Him. He gave him a chance to make things right with the Jews, along with a new purpose.
* Jesus had compassion on lepers, who were feared and removed from all they knew. They were hurting, hungry and knew death would be a relief over how they lived. He didn’t just shout from a distance, Jesus touched them and met them where they were.
* Jesus took time with the kiddos. He was not dismissive.
* Jesus healed the blind, lame and even the dead.
* Jesus honored His mom when He turned the water into wine. He didn’t need to, He loved her.
* Jesus saw the need of 5,000 men (never mind all the women and children) and fed them.
* Jesus showed compassion to the Samaritan woman. Because of how she lived, she was not accepted by the town and on top of that the Jews and Samaritans did not like each other. He met her in her pain and confusion and showed her what true love looked like.
* What about the “working girl” who came to Him and cried all over His feet? Where everyone else was shocked and appalled, Jesus comforted and forgave.

Jesus’ whole life was motivated by the love He had for each person He met. I know in my life Jesus has met me with love and compassion time after time. What about you? Can you remember a time when Love met you in a place you weren’t expecting?

Jesus’ statement “love as I have loved you”, has the power to change our world!

We can no longer use the excuse of not knowing. We know and now we have to do. I have said: “ You don’t know what you don’t know, but when you know ~ do better.” That can be said in so many areas of our lives: relationships, kiddos, jobs, etc. We don’t go into anything new being an expert, and we may not even know what to ask, BUT when we know better, we do better.

On one mission trip, we took a ship (a story for another time) to the Dominican Republic and we docked by a bridge. The water was a milky brown with trash and the occasional bloated, floating pig. I was crying one night after our ministry time, so overwhelmed by the need and how helpless I felt. A local pastor came to talk to me. He shared how as a young kid he stood on that bridge and was about to jump and kill himself, when someone talked to him. He got saved and was now a pastor. He said he can’t do it all, and I couldn’t do it all, BUT if we all do what we can, it will all get done. THAT’S how we impact and change the world.

If you love like Jesus, and I love like Jesus, and Bobby in San Jose’ loves like Jesus…you get the picture. WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD! What can we do today to love like Jesus?

All My Love ~
Jodi xoxo

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