OUR DAILY BREAD READING (Published Daily by Our Daily Bread Ministries)
READ: John 13 (Focus vs. 31–35)
MEMORY VERSE
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
BACKGROUND
I wasn’t truthful about the tulips. A gift from my younger daughter, the packaged bulbs traveled home with her to the US from Amsterdam after she visited there.
So I made a show of accepting the bulbs with great excitement, as excited as I was to reunite with her. But tulips are my least favorite flower. Many bloom early and fade fast. The July weather, meantime, made it too hot to plant them.
Finally, however, in late September, I planted “my daughter’s” bulbs—thinking of her and thus planting them with love. With each turn of the rocky soil, my concern for the bulbs grew.
Giving their plant bed a final pat, I offered the bulbs a blessing, “sleep well,” hoping to see blooming tulips in the spring.
My little project became a humble reminder of God’s call for us to love one another, even if we’re not each other’s “favorites.” Looking past each other’s faulty “weeds,” we’re enabled by God to extend love to others, even in temperamental seasons.
Then, over time, mutual love blooms in spite of ourselves. “By this,” Jesus said, “everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).
Pruned by Him, we’re blessed then to bloom, as my tulips did the next spring—on the same weekend my daughter arrived for a short visit. “Look what’s blooming!” I said. Finally, me.
By: Patricia Raybon
INSIGHT
John 13:31–35 comes immediately after Judas leaves the scene of the Last Supper to betray Jesus (vv. 26–30). “When he was gone, Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man is glorified and God is glorified in him’ ” (v. 31).
The form of the verbs used here indicates that glorification was present and had happened, even though Jesus’ death and resurrection hadn’t yet occurred.
This is often referred to as “the prophetic perfect” verb tense, which describes future events so certain to take place that they’re referred to as if they’ve already happened.
Throughout the Bible, prophets often stated prophecies this way to indicate the assurance of what would happen. It’s interesting to note that the gospel of John refers to these events differently than do the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke).
The Synoptics refer to Jesus’ death as His humiliation, rather than glorification, but John continually includes the cross as a part of Jesus’ glorification.
By: Julie Schwab
APPLICATION
Whom is God asking you to love, even if that person isn’t your “favorite”? What can you do to show that person more of the love of Christ?
PR’s (PASTOR RICHARD) TAKE
“…And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent and so be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:9-11
PR’s RE-EMPHASIS (My Re-Emphasis from Post)
“Look what’s blooming!”
*YOUR TAKE? 
PRAYER
“Dear Jesus, prune my heart so I can learn to love others in Christ.”
TODAY’s HYMN/WORSHIP/PRAISE/GOSPEL SONG
“LOVE ONE ANOTHER” Newsboys
Love
Love
Love
Yeah, we don’t always live what we believe
Yeah, we don’t always share a common source
Here we are, now shoutin’ ’til we’re hoarse
Jesus taught us a different kind of discourse
Don’t talk about it, talk about it
Just do it
Love one another
Sister and brother
Don’t hurt each other, yeah
Lines drawn in the sand
Complicate our new command
Love one another, yeah
Yeah, we don’t always live what we believe
Yeah, we don’t like the shouting of demands
Yeah, we forget the world is in His hands
But there’s one thing the whole world understands
Don’t talk about it, talk about it
Just do it
Love one another (love)…
Love loves a troubled face (a troubled face)
Love loves a hopeless case (I’m such a hopeless case)
Love loves to break the ice (I’ma break the ice)
Love loves at any price (at any price)
Love one another…
Love one another, yeah
Love one another (love one another)
Sister and brother (sister and brother)
Don’t hurt each other, yeah (love)
Get off the high horse
Take it to a higher source
Love is the ultimate force, yeah
READING THROUGH THE BIBLE THIS YEAR (THIS WEEK)
THE BOOK OF PHILIPPIANS
PSALMS 141-150