Monday, May 4, 2026

Bible in a Year: Job 31-32 | Matthew 18

Have you ever tried to imagine what it would be like to hang out with Jesus?

I picture Jesus as being kind, funny, thoughtful, and loving. He drew people to himself because his love and acceptance was palpable. He looked people in the eye and showed them respect. He was fully present and valued each person for who they were. He was perfectly made in the image of God.

Jesus, the sinless Son of God, preached in a way that was very different from any teacher of his time. His teachings and behaviors stunned people. He taught his followers to forgive as often as necessary (Matthew 18:21-22). He ate with and hung around tax collectors, women, notorious sinners, and outcasts. For a Jewish man in Jesus’ time, it would have been unheard of for him to treat this group of people with such respect and kindness.

Jesus lived in a way that showed true love and grace to every person he interacted with, which leads us to another teaching that would have stunned the crowd - “The Most Important Commandment” (Luke 10:25-29).

Luke 10:25-28
One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

Jesus was teaching us an extremely important lesson: We need to love God and our neighbors. The two are inseparable.

We cannot fully love God without loving his people, and this means ALL PEOPLE. This includes the poor, the vulnerable, the overlooked, the sinners, even those who drive us crazy or belong to a different political party.

Ephesians 5:1-2
Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

We love others by treating them as Jesus treated us. We meet their needs through acts of service, encouragement, and pointing them to Jesus. When we truly love our neighbor, we demonstrate our deep love for God.

This love is best demonstrated when we lead with open hands and an open heart, full of gratitude for what Jesus did for us.

Questions:
How has Jesus’ love and grace changed you?

How can you show Jesus’ love to others?

Next Steps:
Look for ways to share God’s love with others this week. This could mean going through GrowthTrack and joining the DreamTeam, or signing up to sponsor a child in Honduras, volunteering to go on an upcoming mission trip, or serving people in the community at our next Second Saturday opportunity.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, I worship and praise you. I can never fully comprehend how much you love me. Thank you for sending your Son to teach me what true love really is. Help me imitate Jesus in the way he loved and served all people. Let your great love and grace overflow from me to all others and bring glory to your holy name. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:

Ephesians 1:5
God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.

This post was written by Marsha Raymond, an Oregon attendee, and a regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.