Love Well - The Yellow Table
Growing up, whenever I told my dad, “I love you,” I usually got the same warm response back: “I love you too.”
But every once in a while—usually when I was acting up—he would look at me and quote Jesus:
“If you love me, keep my commandments.”
As a kid, I hated when he said that. If I’d had the boldness I have now, I might’ve said, “Dad…with all due respect…you’re not Jesus.”
But I didn’t say that. Because he would’ve absolutely turned into Jesus that day—temple, whip of cords and all.
And yet here’s the truth:
I love my dad, but if he told me to jump into the Atlantic? I’m not doing it.
I love my mom, but if she told me to step in front of a train? That’s a no.
I love my wife, but if she commanded me to eat Brussels sprouts every day? Absolutely not.
Human love has limits.
But in John 14:15, Jesus says something that goes beyond any human relationship:
“If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Not because He’s power-hungry, and not because He wants blind obedience—but because obeying Him is the pathway to the life we were created for.
The pathway to worship that is real, meaningful, and transformative.
So the question naturally becomes:
How do we serve and worship God acceptably?
According to Hebrews 12:28–29, it begins with gratitude and results in a life lived with reverence and awe—because “our God is a consuming fire.”
But in Hebrews 13, the author gets practical.
He shows us two tangible, radical ways we love and worship God:
1. Love the Family of God (Philia)
“Let brotherly love continue.” — Hebrews 13:1
The Greek word here is philia—the same root behind the word Philadelphia. Not the city. The kingdom virtue.
This is sibling love.
Everyone who names the name of Jesus becomes your brother or sister—not metaphorically, but spiritually, covenantally, eternally.
And that’s radical.
A pagan writer in the 2nd century named Lucian of Samosata once criticized Christians because they treated each other like family—sharing possessions, sharing space, sharing lives. He thought it was scandalous.
But that “scandalous” love is exactly what Jesus calls us into.
It’s messy.
It’s inconvenient.
It’s beautiful.
I have three older sisters. They drove me crazy growing up—one even made me eat a grape she had twisted into her nose (love is strange). But if any of them called today with a need, I would drop everything.
Because that’s what family does.
Hebrews says:
Treat the people of God with that same commitment.
That’s worship.
2. Love the Stranger (Philoxenia)
“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…” — Hebrews 13:2
If philia is sibling love,
philoxenia is stranger love.
Literally: loving the one you are not 100% sure about.
That’s uncomfortable.
That’s countercultural.
That’s radical.
Which is exactly why it’s kingdom work.
The world teaches: stranger danger.
Scripture teaches: stranger love.
Open your home.
Open your table.
Open your wallet.
Open your life.
Why?
Because “some have welcomed angels without knowing it.”
Abraham did.
People throughout Scripture did.
And many of us have, though we may not realize it until eternity.
Two Real People Living This Out
Sarah’s Story: Moving Into Love
Sarah, a member of our church, felt called to reach refugees—so she left her comfortable home and moved into an apartment complex filled with families from around the world.
She teaches English in her living room.
She helps women who can’t read learn to read for the first time.
She drives people to appointments.
She helps children get ready for kindergarten.
She fills her home with strangers who have become family.
What she thought would be a sacrifice has become a joy.
That is philoxenia.
Lindsay’s Story: Loving Children Who Need a Safe Space
For nearly ten years, Lindsay has been a foster parent—taking calls at midnight, welcoming children at 3 a.m., caring not only for them but also for their biological families.
She loves kids who come from trauma.
She prays for them long after they leave her home.
She becomes what she calls a “spiritual mother”—interceding for their futures, their healing, their homes, their souls.
Her obedience is costly.
Her love is extravagant.
Her surrender is beautiful.
That is philoxenia.
Why Do We Love Like This?
Two reasons:
1. Because Scripture commands it.
Hebrews 12–13 could not be clearer.
2. Because Jesus loved us like this first.
When Jesus’ biological family came asking for Him, He said:
“Who is my brother? Who is my mother?
The one who does the will of my Father.”
Jesus doesn’t just call us servants.
He calls us siblings.
He loved us when we were strangers.
He welcomed us into His family.
He opened His table, His kingdom, His life—and His body—for us.
So when we love well—both the family of God and the strangers God brings into our lives—we are walking in the footsteps of Jesus Himself.
Live Well by Loving Well
If we want to worship God acceptably…
If we want to experience His consuming fire…
If we want His presence to transform us…
Then we must practice:
Philia — Loving the Family of God.
Philoxenia — Loving the Stranger.
This is kingdom life.
This is kingdom love.
This is kingdom worship.
And when we love like this—
heaven comes close.
