We continue our study of the Gospel of John. We pick up at Chapter 15, verse 9. John continues to quote Jesus as He teaches at The Last Supper. In our study for today, He is teaching on Love. He said:
“As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my Love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His Love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit – fruit that will last – and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is My command: LOVE EACH OTHER.” John 15: 9-17
God commands us to Love each other because that is Who He is, and that is who and where He wants us to be. Us in Him – Him in us. Free of judgment. Free to live in His unearned Grace, and unearned Love. Being able to share the results of it first hand because we live it. 1 John 4:16-17 says: “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is Love. Whoever lives in Love lives in God, and God in them. This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment. In this world we are like Jesus.” Jesus loves unconditionally as we are to. He loves us as Friends, instead of ‘King – Servant”. He indeed is our King, but He looks at us as Friends that do what needs to be done in the Kingdom here on earth because of our Love for Him.
This is what He means when He says, “This is my command: Love each other.” He is saying, “This is what I want you to come to. But, I want you to Love each other, because you are my Friend, and not because I am Commanding you to. I chose you, and appointed you to bring the fruit of the Good News to the world because I know you will do this out of your Love and friendship for me.’
Jesus was teaching them, and modeling for them the fact that He was doing the things the Father wanted Him to do out of Love for Him. Not because He had to. There was always ‘the choice’ of doing what the “Plan of Salvation” called for up to and including the time of the Cross. So it is for us. The Lord wants us to choose to Love because we are Friends, and we know this will please Him. To choose to be there as much as we can when we see someone down. To choose to listen when someone needs to talk. To choose to give financially if we can. To choose to encourage the hurting heart of a brother or sister. Not because we have to do any of these things for Him to love us, but because we ‘want to’ out of Love for our Friend Jesus, and our Friend Abba Father, and our Friend the Sweet Holy Spirit, and the person we are bringing love to. Have a wonderful week, God’s Beloveds. You are unconditionally Loved. Walk in Love every day, and pass it on. Know that you are His Friend.?