FRIDAY

John 13:34

As we come to the end of the week, let’s return again to the Key Verse that we began the week with. “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Having now had the opportunity to think more deeply about what it is that makes for healthy relationships within our families, communities, and the world around us, how does this passage speak more richly about what it actually means to love others as we have been loved by God, especially as it has been revealed in Jesus? What are some of the ways that more fully grasping this would change things for you personally, as a part of your church community, and as a co-worker, manager, community member, or world citizen? In what ways do we get a clearer picture of God’s character as we reflect on the way God invites us to be and to live?

• What new insights have you gained this week in terms of what it looks like to have healthy, functional relationships with others that reflect the priorities of the kind of life that Jesus invites us to live?

• How can the central quality of love be expressed in your family or relational setting, in whatever configuration you find yourself in? As problematic as the Biblical case studies are in terms of how families are configured, God is still able to work to bring restoration and healing if we are willing to respond to the next steps Jesus invites us to take in loving others better and well.

• What are some of the growing edges for you as you reflect on what it means for you to live in a way that reflects the priorities of God’s kingdom when we relate to and interact with those around us?

• What questions do you have, or struggle with the most, when it comes to how we can interact with the world around us in a way that genuinely reflects the love and grace of God and has genuine hope for the future?

• As you think back over your reflections this week, what do you sense God inviting you to consider, more fully embrace, or perhaps is nudging you towards?

Scriptures for further reflection: Ephesians 4:25-29; Proverbs 11:17; Colossians 3:12-15