Journal - As I Have Loved You - wk01
As I Have Loved You
Week 1/Day 3
Play AUDIO above or DOWNLOAD THIS GUIDE WITH THE JOURNAL PAGE.
Hi everyone, it’s Pastor Dave. If you have our Alone With God journal, open it to a journal page. If you don’t have our Alone With God journal, you can download a single page, or order a journal, at wordbymail.com. And as always, you can TEXT us for any reason with any questions at 877-790-9673.
Today we’re going to be looking at John 13:31-35. So, turn there in your Bible. I use the New Living Translation (NLT), but you grab whatever version you have.
This is the beginning of “The Last Supper.” Jesus had already washed the Disciple’s feet, which was incredible. And then he predicted his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. And then, we begin our section today.
John 13:31-35 (NLT)
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come (mark that) for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.
32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once.
33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. (mark that) And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going.
Verse 34 is our focus.
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as (mark that) I have loved you, you should love each other.
And verse 35 is the why.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Man, that’s a good paragraph, isn’t it? Alright. Let me give you a few thoughts to help in the Meditate section of your journal. Look at verse 31 again, and note the words the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. And then, in verse 33, again, Jesus says, I will be with you only a little longer. The point is – this is it. This is the final night. Jesus is making that perfectly clear.
Then, in verse 34, Jesus says, So now - after all you’ve heard from me and seen me do - so now I am giving you a new commandment: Not new in concept, but new in priority. It’s like Jesus is saying, “At his crucial moment, I am prioritizing this commandment.” And then he gives the commandment, Love each other, just as… again, those are the crucial words, just as. Highlight them. Jesus says, love one another just as I have loved you. The phrase “just as” means “in the same way and to the same extent.” And so, Jesus is saying, “In the same way that I have loved you and to the same extent that I have loved you, you must love each other.”
And then, verse 35 gives us the why. In verse 35, Jesus says, Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. Your love for one another just as I have loved you. You loving one another in the same way and to the same extent as I have loved you - That love for one another will prove to the world that you are my Disciples.
So now, take some time and write in the Meditate section of your journal. Go back over the verses, and write what God is saying here. Don’t write how it applies to you yet. Just write in your own words, what is Jesus saying? What is the spiritual principle here? Maybe even write the key sentences in your own words.
Okay, now, in the Apply section. The question is, how does this apply to my life today, personally and specifically? In the intensity of the last night Jesus has with his disciples before he faces the cross, Jesus prioritizes this new commandment - Love. As I have loved you, love each other. In the same way and to the same extent and as I have loved you. How can you apply this command from the Lord to your life today?
Maybe there’s someone in your life that you need to love just as Jesus has loved you. Is there somebody in your life that you need to love in the same way and to the same extent as Jesus has loved you? Is there someone that God is calling you to love in that way? And if you have the courage to do it, maybe write down that person’s name. And maybe write how you can love that person just as Jesus has loved you.
Or maybe it’s more general for you today. Maybe it’s the big picture. Maybe it’s the commitment, the priority. Maybe it’s receiving this command from Jesus to love just as he has loved you. To love in the same way and to the same extent as he has loved you.
In the Apply section, write down how this truth applies to your life today, personally and specifically? What is the Holy Spirit pointing his finger at? What is he touching in your life right now?
And now, the Response section. This is the hard section. The question here is, "What action will I take today in response to this truth?" And today I’m just going to share my personal journal with you. This is exactly what I wrote in my journal for these verses. And you don’t have to write the same thing; you don’t even have to necessarily feel the same thing. But let me just share with you what I wrote, and then you can respond as the Holy Spirit leads you.
So, under my Response section, this is what I wrote. Die to self. Die to self. Die to self. The self-nature is strong, and it must be brutally crucified. That death, that crucifixion, is of my pride. Death to pride equals the ability to love like Jesus. Death to self means not thinking that I’m right. It means not thinking of self. But instead, loving unconditionally and sacrificially. Truly thinking of that other person higher than myself, seeing past what they say, and seeing what they do, and feeling for them sacrificially. Seeing them through the eyes of Christ. This is true humility, not thinking of self, but instead loving others in the same way and to the same extent as Jesus has loved me.
That’s my personal response. Yours doesn’t have to be the same. But now, in the Response section, you go ahead and respond to God. Respond personally. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your heart and your response to this truth today. Have the courage to write how you will respond to the Lord regarding these verses.
Finally, I’m just going to pray. This is from my Pray section. Then you can pray, and you can write down your prayer in your journal. Again, it doesn’t have to match mine. I just want to pray to give you my heart, my thoughts, my prayers. And then you pray what the Holy Spirit is doing in your heart through this time alone with God.
Heavenly Father, please align my heart with your will. Align my heart with your heart. Please align my love, Lord, with your love. Jesus, please. I crucify my flesh; please be the power to crucify my flesh even as you were crucified for me. Lord, help me to see others as you see them, and help me to love others as you love them, as you love me. Help me to love past who I am and how I feel. Lord, Jesus, I need you to be my love. I need you to be my compassion. I need you to be my feeling, my empathy for others. Lord, be my compassion to love others as you have loved me. For your glory, and in your mighty, loving name, Jesus, amen.
Okay, guys, finish up your devotion by writing your own prayer. It’s really good to write your prayer. Just take a deep breath, and thank God for speaking to you through this scripture today, and write your prayer.
I’ll sign off, and you go ahead and finish your time Alone With God. Bye-bye.
Hi everyone, it’s Pastor Dave. If you have our Alone With God journal, open it to a journal page. If you don’t have our Alone With God journal, you can download a single page, or order a journal, at wordbymail.com. And as always, you can TEXT us for any reason with any questions at 877-790-9673.
Today we’re going to be looking at John 13:31-35. So, turn there in your Bible. I use the New Living Translation (NLT), but you grab whatever version you have.
This is the beginning of “The Last Supper.” Jesus had already washed the Disciple’s feet, which was incredible. And then he predicted his betrayal by Judas Iscariot. And then, we begin our section today.
John 13:31-35 (NLT)
31 As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come (mark that) for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him.
32 And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will give his own glory to the Son, and he will do so at once.
33 Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. (mark that) And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going.
Verse 34 is our focus.
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as (mark that) I have loved you, you should love each other.
And verse 35 is the why.
35 Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.”
Man, that’s a good paragraph, isn’t it? Alright. Let me give you a few thoughts to help in the Meditate section of your journal. Look at verse 31 again, and note the words the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory. And then, in verse 33, again, Jesus says, I will be with you only a little longer. The point is – this is it. This is the final night. Jesus is making that perfectly clear.
Then, in verse 34, Jesus says, So now - after all you’ve heard from me and seen me do - so now I am giving you a new commandment: Not new in concept, but new in priority. It’s like Jesus is saying, “At his crucial moment, I am prioritizing this commandment.” And then he gives the commandment, Love each other, just as… again, those are the crucial words, just as. Highlight them. Jesus says, love one another just as I have loved you. The phrase “just as” means “in the same way and to the same extent.” And so, Jesus is saying, “In the same way that I have loved you and to the same extent that I have loved you, you must love each other.”
And then, verse 35 gives us the why. In verse 35, Jesus says, Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples. Your love for one another just as I have loved you. You loving one another in the same way and to the same extent as I have loved you - That love for one another will prove to the world that you are my Disciples.
So now, take some time and write in the Meditate section of your journal. Go back over the verses, and write what God is saying here. Don’t write how it applies to you yet. Just write in your own words, what is Jesus saying? What is the spiritual principle here? Maybe even write the key sentences in your own words.
Okay, now, in the Apply section. The question is, how does this apply to my life today, personally and specifically? In the intensity of the last night Jesus has with his disciples before he faces the cross, Jesus prioritizes this new commandment - Love. As I have loved you, love each other. In the same way and to the same extent and as I have loved you. How can you apply this command from the Lord to your life today?
Maybe there’s someone in your life that you need to love just as Jesus has loved you. Is there somebody in your life that you need to love in the same way and to the same extent as Jesus has loved you? Is there someone that God is calling you to love in that way? And if you have the courage to do it, maybe write down that person’s name. And maybe write how you can love that person just as Jesus has loved you.
Or maybe it’s more general for you today. Maybe it’s the big picture. Maybe it’s the commitment, the priority. Maybe it’s receiving this command from Jesus to love just as he has loved you. To love in the same way and to the same extent as he has loved you.
In the Apply section, write down how this truth applies to your life today, personally and specifically? What is the Holy Spirit pointing his finger at? What is he touching in your life right now?
And now, the Response section. This is the hard section. The question here is, "What action will I take today in response to this truth?" And today I’m just going to share my personal journal with you. This is exactly what I wrote in my journal for these verses. And you don’t have to write the same thing; you don’t even have to necessarily feel the same thing. But let me just share with you what I wrote, and then you can respond as the Holy Spirit leads you.
So, under my Response section, this is what I wrote. Die to self. Die to self. Die to self. The self-nature is strong, and it must be brutally crucified. That death, that crucifixion, is of my pride. Death to pride equals the ability to love like Jesus. Death to self means not thinking that I’m right. It means not thinking of self. But instead, loving unconditionally and sacrificially. Truly thinking of that other person higher than myself, seeing past what they say, and seeing what they do, and feeling for them sacrificially. Seeing them through the eyes of Christ. This is true humility, not thinking of self, but instead loving others in the same way and to the same extent as Jesus has loved me.
That’s my personal response. Yours doesn’t have to be the same. But now, in the Response section, you go ahead and respond to God. Respond personally. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide your heart and your response to this truth today. Have the courage to write how you will respond to the Lord regarding these verses.
Finally, I’m just going to pray. This is from my Pray section. Then you can pray, and you can write down your prayer in your journal. Again, it doesn’t have to match mine. I just want to pray to give you my heart, my thoughts, my prayers. And then you pray what the Holy Spirit is doing in your heart through this time alone with God.
Heavenly Father, please align my heart with your will. Align my heart with your heart. Please align my love, Lord, with your love. Jesus, please. I crucify my flesh; please be the power to crucify my flesh even as you were crucified for me. Lord, help me to see others as you see them, and help me to love others as you love them, as you love me. Help me to love past who I am and how I feel. Lord, Jesus, I need you to be my love. I need you to be my compassion. I need you to be my feeling, my empathy for others. Lord, be my compassion to love others as you have loved me. For your glory, and in your mighty, loving name, Jesus, amen.
Okay, guys, finish up your devotion by writing your own prayer. It’s really good to write your prayer. Just take a deep breath, and thank God for speaking to you through this scripture today, and write your prayer.
I’ll sign off, and you go ahead and finish your time Alone With God. Bye-bye.