Love as Our Vertical and Horizontal Anchor
John 15:9, 12–13
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. …
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Thought:
In John chapter 15, Jesus speaks to disciples who are weak and imperfect. Peter, who will deny Him. Thomas, who will doubt Him. Others with mixed pasts and mixed motives. Yet to these men He gives a command and a promise.
He tells them that as the Father has loved Him, He has loved them. Then He calls them to continue in that love and to love one another as He has loved them. He knows a storm of suffering is coming, but He gives them something that will hold them steady. His love.
Love for God is our vertical anchor. It keeps us looking upward in worship and dependence, even when life is hard.
Love for others is our horizontal anchor. It stretches across every relationship, calling us to forgive, serve, and care, even when it is costly.
Together, these loves form the shape of the cross in our daily lives. Loving God above all. Loving others sacrificially. When these are in place, we do not drift as easily. When they are weak or neglected, everything else begins to shake.
Jesus did not call us to love in our own strength. He called us to love with the love we have received from Him. His love is our example and our power.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You that, as the Father has loved You, so You have loved me. Teach me to remain in that love. Strengthen my love for God so that it is sincere, deep, and undivided. Help me to love others as You have loved me, with patience, kindness, and a willingness to lay down my own comfort. Let the pattern of the cross shape every relationship in my life. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. …
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Thought:
In John chapter 15, Jesus speaks to disciples who are weak and imperfect. Peter, who will deny Him. Thomas, who will doubt Him. Others with mixed pasts and mixed motives. Yet to these men He gives a command and a promise.
He tells them that as the Father has loved Him, He has loved them. Then He calls them to continue in that love and to love one another as He has loved them. He knows a storm of suffering is coming, but He gives them something that will hold them steady. His love.
Love for God is our vertical anchor. It keeps us looking upward in worship and dependence, even when life is hard.
Love for others is our horizontal anchor. It stretches across every relationship, calling us to forgive, serve, and care, even when it is costly.
Together, these loves form the shape of the cross in our daily lives. Loving God above all. Loving others sacrificially. When these are in place, we do not drift as easily. When they are weak or neglected, everything else begins to shake.
Jesus did not call us to love in our own strength. He called us to love with the love we have received from Him. His love is our example and our power.
Prayer:
Lord, thank You that, as the Father has loved You, so You have loved me. Teach me to remain in that love. Strengthen my love for God so that it is sincere, deep, and undivided. Help me to love others as You have loved me, with patience, kindness, and a willingness to lay down my own comfort. Let the pattern of the cross shape every relationship in my life. I pray this in Your name, Jesus. Amen.
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