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As we recently celebrated Christmas, we heard about Jesus coming to earth as a baby, but have we really considered what He sacrificed to show us love in the Incarnation?  Jesus came from the perfection and glory of heaven to the humility of a manger feeding-trough in order to rescue us.  He willingly took on the confines of a helpless baby’s body out of love for us.  

If we are going to love like Jesus, then we must also humble ourselves for others.  True love requires humility.  True love requires sacrifice.  Are we willing to sacrifice in order to reach others with the love of Christ?  Are we willing to love like Jesus, even if it means giving up comfort and preferences?  We have to be intentional and carve out time to others if we are going to love them like Jesus.  Loving like Jesus may be inconvenient at times.  It may be messy.  It may be uncomfortable.  But loving like Jesus is the only way to show others the greatness of God’s love for them.  

Jesus left heaven to show His love for us.  What do we need to give up or leave behind in order to love like Jesus?  

Here are some practical steps to consider as we seek to love like Jesus:

• Cultivate a heart to love like Jesus.  Jesus’ love was so great that He gave up His very life.  John 15:13 tells us that, “Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”  So, pray for a heart to love other people genuinely.  Pray for a willingness to sacrifice for others.  Love does not always come naturally.  In fact, some people may seem very hard to love.  But certainly God is able to grow in us a heart of love for others, since He is love.  

In addition to prayer, read the Bible to gain a better understanding of Christ-like love.  Saturate your mind with the truth of how God’s Word describes true love.  Passages such as I John 4:16, Ephesians 4:2, I Peter 4:8, I John 15:12, and I Corinthians 13 teach about sacrificial love. 

Learn about the lives of other Christians so that you can be inspired by the great sacrifices they made in order to love like Jesus.  Consider learning about Jim Elliot, Gladys Aylward, Hudson Taylor, Amy Carmichael, Lottie Moon, and the Moravians.  You can read biographies about these people or you can find great DVDs, like the Torchlighters series, which teach about them.

• Think about people in your sphere of influence who need to experience the love of God.  There are people that you encounter on a regular basis who need to experience the love of Jesus.  These people may be family members, friends, neighbors, or co-workers.  They might be store employees that you see consistently or the parents of your child’s friend.  Think seriously about who you can love.  Then think about ways you can show them the love of Jesus. 

• Take action intentionally to show the love of Jesus to people – being willing to give of your time and resources in order to do so.  Maybe you can bake a cake for a neighbor or help them with yard work.  Maybe you can take the time to listen to a co-worker who is struggling.  Maybe you can ask a store employee how you can pray for them.  Maybe you can invite someone over for a meal in your home.  Pray that the Lord will help you think of creative ways in which to show His love to others.

• Repeat Steps 1-3.  Loving like Jesus needs to become our life style, not just something we do once or twice.  So, pray, read the Bible, learn about other Christians who loved sacrificially, think about people you can love, and take action to love like Jesus.  

A life lived in love will not be wasted