The Greatest Love of All: Jesus’ Blueprint for Relationships

Much emphasis is placed on Biblical teaching about loving God and people, and rightly so. It is the pinnacle of the Christian faith by which others will know the believers who make up the Body of Christ (John 13:35). Furthermore, the love that we demonstrate will cause others to know God Himself. It is love alone, not fear or shame, that draws people to Jesus. In being magnetized to His lovingkindness, we find that Love is the most radical force we could ever encounter.

God Himself is Love. By Him, everything visible has materialized by His spoken Word from the realm of the unseen (John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17). The Love of God sparks and sustains relationships, underscoring our connection with others.

Love is the foundation that builds community, as Jesus illustrated by engaging those who followed Him and believed. We who abide in Him learn to live sacrificially, sharpening one another, offering strength and support to live in vibrant interdependence as one diversified Body.

Less than a half-century ago, an older song rebounded from obscurity, climbing its way into a hit popularized by a budding pop sensation.^[1] In the remake, the songstress ascended the music charts, belting with boldness that, “learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all.” Jesus was the first to highlight the connection between loving God, ourselves, and our neighbors (Matthew 22:36-40).

Long before these lyrics were set to music, Jesus knew that we would need to have a sense of how loved we are by God. We need this encouragement to follow His divine example to love and serve, even to the point of sacrifice. This song intersects with Scripture, illustrating how the Father’s Love activated in us allows us to respond to God, to serve Him and others well.

Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. – John 15:13, NIV

Whether we are showing love to one another or to those who don’t know the Savior, the undefeatable love of God is the transformative power that has effectively shaken the world and turned it upside down (Acts 17:6). The apostles modeled this, dispatched by Jesus to disciple nations, near and far. Their experiences launched exploits, causing them to live, love, and lead in the pattern that the Messiah embodied for three years.^[2]

They extended Heaven’s Kingdom into Earth, having learned to pray and proceed with the Father’s Heart as the eternal Force that inspired and informed their own (Luke 11:1-13). It was the Gift of God’s Love, sent through His Son and released by His Spirit, that invites us into the greatest love of all. It gives us an invitation to the right relationships.

Love like Jesus

God desires relationship, and we see this as He exists as a triune being. He has three distinct roles, yet also functions as one. His core value of connection originated with His conversation with Himself, asserting the decision to make man in His image (Genesis 1:26).

Even though Adam and Eve’s Eden experience shifted into sin and resulted in division, God enacted a plan to reconcile the relationship between humanity and Himself. Where one man’s sin broke fellowship, God’s Love would generously repair through Christ Jesus’ sacrifice (Romans 5:12).

The Father experienced both grief and joy in surrendering His only Son and subjecting Him to the pain of sacrifice (Romans 8:32; Matthew 27:46). The means of the cross was a temporary one, though. It yielded the power of sacrifice that would re-establish intimate fellowship with countless sons and daughters by placing faith in Christ.

In response to the Father’s Love, Jesus only sought what pleased His Father, detailing the blueprint for our life’s pattern (Hebrews 10:7). Prayer and priority not only give God our time but also yield a place to exchange what’s in our hearts for His. This transforms us and equips us to release the same in our worlds.

One of the relational principles Christ conveys is that love is more than an emotion. It is an attitude that gives rise to decisive action. We see and experience it as each member of the Trinity conveys what we need to prioritize in our relationships.

As we seek God’s will, we spend time in prayer, listening and following the Holy Spirit in our obedience to Jesus, the Word. We find ways to prioritize what we value. The intention and attention we afford to love like the Savior yields investment beyond our imagination.

Live Like Jesus

Jesus established time with His Father as a priority. He didn’t compromise His commitment to seek the Father and follow the Spirit. He protected His time of prayer and solitude, seeking Him early in the morning as well as other times when He needed to refresh.

His mission required that He first fill up in the Father’s Presence in fellowship. This equipped Jesus with an abundance. When He engaged with others, He was full enough to distribute to those around Him.

This is both inspiration and an example that equips us to follow suit when we organize our lives. We can schedule our priorities in alignment with what the Father esteems and values. As we seek the King and His Kingdom, He adds “everything else,” but He first fills us up with Himself (Matthew 6:33).

When we elevate God’s Kingdom, seeking Him and His righteousness, He clears the cluttered space in our hearts, removing idols and distractions that would pull our desire into destruction. Christ gave His life in exchange, a ransom for us, forgiving our sins and enabling us to forgive others. He gives us His Spirit to be our present help, comfort, and teacher to navigate us through a chaotic world.

Lead Like Jesus

Jesus left His followers with both affirmation and assignment. He called them to minister reconciliation, even as He had repaired the breach between the Father and the Family of humanity (Acts 1:8). The disciples and others were already witnesses to His power, but Jesus equipped them with His Spirit to do greater works (John 14:12). Jesus would no longer be with them physically, but He hadn’t abandoned their connection.

The Messiah commissioned them to advance into various regions: dispatching His Spirit to live inside of believers, developing them in relationship with Him as Savior, and deploying them into dark realms, requiring salt and light (Matthew 28:19; 5:13-16). The Holy Spirit would navigate their spiritual and practical paths through unknown territory in the same way He does for us.

As Jesus offered the premiere example of setting one’s life aside, His apostles followed as many were martyred in some form of cruel torture. They populated the pages of history and the halls of faith, exemplifying what it looked like to follow Christ with one’s entire life.

While we may not be experiencing the same degrees of suffering, surrendering our lives to the Lord also demands our total submission. Living as a sacrifice invites us into transformation, drawing others by devoted example (Romans 12:1-2). We follow Christ, and yet lead, one soul at a time, into what it looks like to experience enduring, yet joyful, fellowship with the Father who restores.

Next Steps

Jesus Christ is our savior, friend, and perfect example. He has given a guidebook to chart the course in forming, sustaining, and repairing relationships. While you may not always get it “right,” you can begin by having a reconciled relationship with Him. That’s the best place to begin. As you do this, you may discover that you need more support.

Search and schedule time with a counselor on this site to support you as you cultivate a relationship with God. He empowers you to love, live, and lead like Jesus.