Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.”
NL Daily Devotion for Thursday, March 17, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
That’s a tall order, isn’t it? To love others the way Jesus loves us, I mean. Personally I don’t have a chance of living up to the complete self-emptying, self-sacrificing, unconditional love that Jesus has for me. Yet here it is from Jesus not as a suggestion or even a request, but a commandment. You will love one another as I have loved you.
Given that this is humanly impossible, what are we to take from this commandment? Practicing love is a lifelong endeavor. It takes effort to see Jesus in my neighbor; takes effort to set aside my self-serving attitudes; takes effort to enter into another’s need and listen without judgment, and act without expectation of return. Even the fierce mama-bear love I have for my kids falls short of the ideal. But that doesn’t mean I don’t keep practicing—with them and with everyone around me. I trust that Jesus’ perfect love for me never wavers even when I do, and that any effort I put in and progress I make is cause for joy in heaven.
How do I practice loving others?