Love > Loud

Read The Daily:
“By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” – John 13:35

Jesus didn’t go viral because He had the best mic drop moments. He didn’t win people over by getting the last word. He didn’t hold press conferences just to dunk on His critics. He went viral because He loved people deeper than they’d ever been loved before. And that’s how He said we’d be recognized too—not by our loudest opinions, not by our strongest arguments, not by how well we can “own” people in a debate—but by how we love. Like it was said Sunday,

“You’ll never change the world with a megaphone”

But let’s be real—this is tough for us because we love a good comeback. My wife and son are terrible at comebacks. Actually they have great ones, they just think of them like two weeks later. I actually can come back with a zinger usually pretty quickly. But why do any of us do it? We love being right. We love proving a point. Sometimes we live for the moment we get to hit someone with, “Well, actually…” and feel like we just won a championship in a Facebook comment section. But Jesus? He didn’t tell us to be known by our accuracy, our ability to win an argument, or how well we can craft a viral post. He said we’d be known by our love.

And that’s where this really does get real. Love is greater than loud. Love > Loud. And yet, we keep thinking that if we just turn up the volume, people will finally listen. But let’s be honest—when was the last time someone changed their mind because someone yelled at them? It’s like those street preachers with megaphones who think volume equals transformation. But no one’s rolling their window down at a red light and shouting back, “Wait! Say that part again about how I’m going to hell—I think you’re onto something!”

At the end of the day, people won’t remember what you yelled about. But they will remember how you made them feel. So today, instead of trying to be heard, try being felt. Let someone experience the kind of love that doesn’t demand, doesn’t shout, doesn’t keep score—but just is. Because that’s how the world will know who we follow. Remember—Jesus didn’t say, “By this, all men will know that you are my disciples: if you absolutely obliterate people in an argument.” He said, “if you love one another.” So, let’s love louder than we speak, because that’s the only kind of viral that actually changes the world.

Prayer for the Day

God what is the good news in this devotional or daily reading for me?
Remind me of Your unconditional love for me and help me see one person that I can extend that same love to today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: John 12:1-19 & 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

Six days before the Passover celebration began, Jesus arrived in Bethany, the home of Lazarus—the man he had raised from the dead. A dinner was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus was among those who ate with him. Then Mary took a twelve-ounce jar of expensive perfume made from essence of nard, and she anointed Jesus’ feet with it, wiping his feet with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance. But Judas Iscariot, the disciple who would soon betray him, said, “That perfume was worth a year’s wages. It should have been sold and the money given to the poor.” Not that he cared for the poor—he was a thief, and since he was in charge of the disciples’ money, he often stole some for himself. Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. She did this in preparation for my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.” When all the people heard of Jesus’ arrival, they flocked to see him and also to see Lazarus, the man Jesus had raised from the dead. Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too, for it was because of him that many of the people had deserted them and believed in Jesus. The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city. A large crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him. They shouted, “Praise God! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the LORD! Hail to the King of Israel!” Jesus found a young donkey and rode on it, fulfilling the prophecy that said: “Don’t be afraid, people of Jerusalem. Look, your King is coming, riding on a donkey’s colt.” His disciples didn’t understand at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy. But after Jesus entered into his glory, they remembered what had happened and realized that these things had been written about him. Many in the crowd had seen Jesus call Lazarus from the tomb, raising him from the dead, and they were telling others about it. That was the reason so many went out to meet him—because they had heard about this miraculous sign. Then the Pharisees said to each other, “There’s nothing we can do. Look, everyone has gone after him!”   John 12:1-19

And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died. We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the believers who have died will rise from their graves. Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. So encourage each other with these words.  1 Thessalonians 4:13-19

Read More – Bible Project Overviews: John, 1 Thessalonians