Knowing God is love and receiving Jesus’ new commandment to love others as He has loved us is ample incentive to intentionally, enthusiastically, and expectantly enter into the living to love adventure with Him. But there are more really good reasons to consider dedicating ourselves daily to this purpose for living. After giving His disciples this new commandment, Jesus told them why it was important for them to obey this commandment and live to love with Him. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). This gives us a third reason to reconsider what we live for.

Reason #3: Live to love because it is the proof that you know Him.

    Everyone who is a true child of God knows God and loves others. This beautiful growth of our relationship with Him happens because when God is saving us, the Father draws us to Jesus through the beauty of His love, the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross, and the power of the Holy Spirit. Our life with Him is strengthened over time as we get to know Him and become one with Him by the power of His love. All of us who know Jesus remember when the eyes of our hearts first saw Him. Perhaps we began our relationship with Him by asking some of our friends if they knew Him. Eventually, we were drawn to get to know Him ourselves, to move closer to Him as we read the Bible, attended a church, and befriended others who knew Him.

    And then it happened—He came to us! He made His presence known to us and poured out His love in our hearts, and we were smitten. Few experiences are more life-changing than the moment one realizes he is known and loved. If it’s happened to you, then you can’t forget it. Do you remember when you knew that He knew everything about you? You were aware that there was no way to impress Him or demonstrate that you were worthy of His love. But that exposure, shame, and accompanying fear were dispelled in a moment when you knew also that His death on the cross paid the price for your sins and His resurrection sealed the promise that those sins were forgiven by God. When this happens, you know by experience that God is love, and you can’t help but share His love with others. I’m sure that’s why John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). Surely John wrote this because of what Jesus told His disciples. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:35). Living to love with Jesus is the proof that you belong to Christ. He has pursued you and drawn you to Himself. He has captured your heart, filled and changed your life, and opened your heart to know Him.

    I am convinced you’ll find that the better you know Him, the more you will want to love others, because you will want them to know and love Him like you do. Furthermore, you’ll want them to believe that they also can love others well. The third reason to rethink what you live for is that you are known and loved by God and living to love others is the proof that you know Him. If you’ve ever experienced His love, then you know you want to not only return it, but also pass it on.

    Hopefully, these three reasons to live to love have helped you to pray more diligently about living to love with Jesus. If you haven’t already visited livetolovewithjesus.com and taken the Live to Love with Jesus prayer challenge, I hope you will. The Live to Love prayer helps you take these reasons we are considering this year from the information stage to application. Jesus taught His disciples that they will be blessed if they put into practice what they heard Him teach. The same is true for us. We are His disciples, and we want the world to know that we know Him and are following Him by living to love with Him. If you haven’t joined the Live to Love adventure yet, why not begin today? The Live to Love book (print, ebook, audiobook) and the Live to Love Adventure video series are available for free on the website. If you are interested in being a part of a Live to Love zoom group, let us know by sending an email expressing your interest. You also can start your own Live to Love discipleship group in your home, at church, or in a park or coffee shop. The Live to Love powerpoints for each chapter of the book are available on the website. You can also download the Live to Love app on your phone or tablet which has all of the resources for making disciples who live to love with Jesus available at your fingertips.

PASS THE BLOG ON TO FRIENDS AND FAMILY

    If you have found the Live to Love blog to be a source of encouragement to you in your walk with the Lord, please pass it on to your friends and family. In doing so, you’ll be stimulating “one another to love and good works” as it says in Hebrews 10:24. Thank you for participating with me in calling God’s people to live to love with Jesus and make disciples who do the same.