To love indicates an action. Alex Pretti engaged in the ultimate action in stepping up to defend a person and then dying. Most of us will not die defending another person, but we can still engage in acts of love.
This is what ChatGPT came up with about the ultimate love (and it’s pretty good):
Love in Ordinary Places: How the Love of Jesus Shows Up Every Day
When people think about the love of Jesus, they often picture grand moments—miracles, sermons on hillsides, or acts of sacrificial love that change the course of history. But one of the most beautiful truths about Jesus’ love is how ordinary it is. It doesn’t stay confined to sanctuaries or scripture pages. It shows up quietly, consistently, in the small moments of everyday life.
In Patience That Chooses Grace
The love of Jesus appears when patience wins over irritation. It’s there when a parent takes a deep breath instead of snapping, when a coworker responds with kindness instead of defensiveness, or when someone listens without interrupting. Jesus modeled a love that made space for people’s weaknesses. Every time we choose grace over frustration, that same love is at work.
In Seeing the Overlooked
Jesus had a habit of noticing people others ignored—the sick, the poor, the lonely, the outcast. Today, His love shows up when someone acknowledges the quiet person in the room, checks in on a neighbor who lives alone, or treats a service worker with dignity. These moments may feel small, but to the person being seen, they can be life-giving.
In Forgiveness That Breaks Cycles
Forgiveness is one of the hardest expressions of love, and it’s also one of the clearest reflections of Jesus. In everyday life, His love shows up when someone chooses not to keep score, not to retaliate, not to let resentment have the final word. Forgiveness doesn’t deny pain—but it refuses to let pain define the future.
In Practical Care
The love of Jesus is not abstract; it’s practical. It looks like bringing a meal to someone who’s overwhelmed, offering a ride, helping with childcare, or sending a message that says, “I’m thinking of you.” These acts may not feel spiritual, but they echo the heart of Jesus, who fed the hungry, healed the sick, and met real needs with real compassion.
In Presence During Pain
Sometimes love doesn’t fix anything—it simply stays. The love of Jesus shows up when someone sits with another person in grief, uncertainty, or fear without rushing them toward answers. Jesus wept with those who mourned. Today, His love is reflected whenever someone chooses presence over platitudes.
In Loving the Difficult People
Jesus loved people who were hard to love—critics, betrayers, doubters. His love shows up in everyday life when someone chooses kindness toward a difficult family member, patience with a challenging colleague, or compassion for someone whose views feel threatening or wrong. This kind of love stretches us, and that stretching is often where transformation begins.
In Humility and Service
From washing His disciples’ feet to touching those deemed untouchable, Jesus showed that love often looks like humility. In daily life, this love appears when someone serves without recognition, admits when they’re wrong, or puts another person’s needs ahead of their own comfort.
In Hope That Refuses to Give Up
The love of Jesus carries hope—especially when circumstances feel heavy. It shows up in encouragement offered at just the right time, in prayers whispered for someone who feels lost, and in the quiet belief that no person is beyond redemption. Hope is love insisting that the story isn’t over yet.
Love That Multiplies
What’s remarkable about the love of Jesus is that it multiplies. When it’s received, it naturally wants to be given away. Everyday expressions of love—kind words, small sacrifices, gentle forgiveness—become reflections of something far greater than themselves.
In a world that often looks for love in dramatic gestures, Jesus reminds us to look closer. His love is found in the ordinary moments, lived out through ordinary people, doing ordinary things with extraordinary compassion. And when that love shows up, even the most routine day becomes holy ground.
Thanks, ChatGPT!
From Matthew 25:
31When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit on His glorious throne. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate the people one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
34Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink, I was a stranger and you took Me in, 36I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you looked after Me, I was in prison and you visited Me.’
37Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39When did we see You sick or in prison and visit You?’
40And the King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for Me.’
And…
Proverbs 25:21-22
If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat,
and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink.
For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head,
and the LORD will reward you.
Let’s love in action.