January 10 - Become Like Jesus, Strengthen Relationships
“Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.” (Luke 2:52)
Jesus - “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are My disciples.” (John 13:34-35)
Devotional Thought: Most of us would like to have better relationships in our lives. It was said about Jesus that He grew in wisdom, in physical stature and in favor with God. But Jesus also developed great relationships with others during His formative years. Which reminds us that we’re also to be growing in our relationships with other people. And we won’t experience God’s best in 2026 if we don’t have healthy relationships in our lives.
How can we have healthier relationships? We know we have to spend time with people and prioritize them in our lives. But we also have to learn how to love people like Jesus loved people (John 13:34-35). So, how do we love other people like He has loved us?
One way to love other people like the Lord has loved us is by accepting others the way that Jesus has accepted us. Everyone experiences rejection at some time in their lives. And most of what we attempt to accomplish in life results from trying to overcome some type of rejection and trying to receive acceptance from others. Our fear of rejection affects the kind of clothes we wear, the way we style our hair, the kind of car we drive, the career we choose, and how we relate to other people.
Regardless of whether or not we’ve felt rejected by others, we need to know that the Lord will always love us and accept us (John 6:37). And as a result, followers of Jesus must be the most “accepting” people in the world. Romans 15:7 says, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you.” Now, “accepting people” does not mean that we have to endorse their actions and lifestyles, especially if those actions and lifestyles contradict what God says to us in His Word. And we demonstrate acceptance to people when we listen to them, look at them, and seek to learn from them.
Another way to love other people like the Lord has loved us is by valuing other people the way that the Lord values us. The Bible teaches us that we are very valuable to the Lord (Luke 12:6-7). I have discovered that someone or something’s value is based on who makes them or what someone will pay for them. That’s good news for us as human beings because the Bible teaches us that we are made by God Himself (Ephesians 2:10), and that He paid for us with the “precious lifeblood of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:19).
Jesus said “I expect you to love and value other people the same way I love and value them because I died for them as well as for you.” That means that we’re to love and value other people regardless of what they look like, where they come from, whether they are documented or undocumented, who they vote for, etc. The Lord wants us to treat everyone with the same love and value He has ascribed to us.
Prayer Focus: Lord, help me in 2026 to learn how to be more accepting of others, and learn how to really value others in the same way You value me. And in so doing, I know that I will have healthier and happier relationships in 2026. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Follow-Up Activity: Make a list of people that you need to better “accept” and “value”, identify some ways you can help them feel more loved by you and by the Lord; and take some steps to show your acceptance of them and value of them in the days ahead.
