My friend, we are called to love. I’m talking about the noble, truly selfless kind of love — the kind of love that inspires the laying down of our very lives for each other. Holy Spirit does not allow for lukewarm love in a true disciple’s life. Jesus gave us His last, solemn instruction about this before culminating His earthly mission on the cross. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34, NKJV).
“Wait a minute,” someone might say. “Jesus, how was that commandment new? Loving one’s neighbor goes all the way back to the law of Moses (Lev. 19:18). So where is the novelty?”
Don’t miss the key phrase. “As I have loved you.” Having entered into covenant with Jesus, we are now called to love on a whole new plane. He wants us to match His love level. This is not merely human love. We are now called to love with divine love.
Humanly speaking, this is impossible. Humanly speaking, no one alive has the self-restraint necessary to love at such a standard. Refrain from any and all impulses born of anger? Turn the other cheek every time someone wounds our emotions? Really? Every time? Respond to everyone around us with kindness, graciousness, and gentleness in every moment? Walk, in relationship with others, without a spot of pride? Have unconstrained mercy on every individual that has wronged us? Never judge? Always forgive?
Yes, absolutely impossible… if we take these instructions as directives to fulfill by trying really, really, really hard. We will fall short every time. We simply can’t do it. The sin nature with which we were born bends our dispositions in the opposite direction of God’s ideals.
Only the Spirit of God can put love into our hearts that closely resembles Jesus’ love. For this to be possible, we need a major overhaul. In fact, the long and the short of it is that we need Him to give us a heart transplant. The wonderful news is that this is exactly what Jesus holds out to us through the indwelling of His Spirit:
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you…” (Ezek. 36:26-27a, NKJV).
Holy Spirit is all about transforming our hearts day by day to reflect the image, the likeness, and the beauty of Jesus. The more we submit to His masterful work, the more He empowers us to love supernaturally. Every day, He deposits more of Jesus’ own love in our willing hearts. Every day, we respond to those around us in increasingly loving, self-sacrificing, life-giving ways. Our love capacity may be growing by tiny increments; however, slowly but surely, Holy Spirit is making everything about our inner life beautiful in His time (Eccl. 3:11).
Romans 13:11 tells us that love is the fulfillment of the law, as love does no harm to its neighbor. This is the stunning loveliness of a heart that has yielded to Holy Spirit’s sanctifying work for many years. We become, by His thorough, relentless, proficient work, so full of Jesus that His exquisite love overflows to all the precious people He puts in our paths. This is His magnum opus. A life lived this way brings the Lord ultimate glory.
Dear Jesus, today I want to love like You do, more than yesterday! Let Your Holy Spirit come and surgically remove everything inside of me that hinders. I surrender wholeheartedly to Your breathtaking transformational process. Come and make me just like You!
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Have you experienced Holy Spirit’s supernatural empowering to love someone difficult to love?
Feeding On Jesus 
This process is a slow one, but praise God, when I look back, I can see progress! Slowly but surely I am learning to love.
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Isn’t that an amazing feeling, to be able to see the progress Holy Spirit has made in changing us to be more like Jesus?? I rejoice with you, Shae!
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❤️Awesome; I love this post; you know! the same phrase that got my attention at the beginning of the post “As I have loved you.”
And if we will be all sincere, Christ love for us was more than just loving our neighbor as ourselves. If Christ loved us like He did just for Himself it couldn’t have taken him to the cross.
I believe Christ loved us more than Himself and that is where the love that has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit should get us too. Is divine not human and that is why is a new commandment.
God bless you Jenni; this is an eye opener and is time to love but not just love but rather loving as Jesus did.
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That is such beautiful insight, Bro George! Like Philippians 2 also talks about, considering others as more important than ourselves. Truly only Holy Spirit can do this as His love is poured into our hearts supernaturally! And I am SO grateful He delights to do this transformational work in us! Thank you so much for sharing your insights with us!
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Thank you. It is easy to drift away. One must be reminded to stay focused.
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You are most welcome, Debra! I’m thankful for Holy Spirit’s faithfulness to provide those reminders we so need!
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To answer your question, let me just say: you know the old saying that there’s “one in every family”? I got at least four. . . . 🙂
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Knowing chuckle. I sure do hear ya!
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Amen and yes. 🙂
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🙂 ❤
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A-men and YES! Only through a relationship with the DIVINE can we ever learn to LOVE with His DIVINE LOVE. (sadly many judge love simply by human standards). Love Divine all other loves excelling is an old hymn and is absolute TRUTH. Blessings and thank you Jenn.
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And such a beautiful one, at that! So many of those old hymns are just masterpieces, aren’t they? Much love to you, Faye!
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People live their lives looking for love. Each of us must be able to give love before we can receive it. That genuine love is given to us by Jesus, through the Spirit. Len
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Wow; give love before we receive, that’s an eye opener.
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As He pours His love into our hearts, He lovingly tells us, “Freely you have received, freely give!’ Thank you, Len, for sharing!
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The influence of God’s Holy Spirit in our lives is so immense we sometimes don’t even realize our Heavenly Father is at work.
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So very true! He is constantly active in both immense and subtle ways!
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