Joy through Obedience

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s own life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. This is my command: Love each other.” (John 15:9-17)

Jesus is preparing the disciples to continue His work once He has returned to His Father. Jesus is describing His commandment to love each other and how this love needs to manifest. In the verse just before this paragraph, verse 8, Jesus says, “When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.” True disciples experience transformed lives bearing fruit as a direct result of living in a relationship of love with Jesus and the Father. Therefore if we live a life in a loving relationship with Jesus and the Father, this will transform us into fruit bearing disciples.

Verse 13 has always been one of my favorites Jesus says, “There is no great love that to lay down one’s life for one’s friend.” Although Jesus is preparing to literally lay down his life for us, here I think Jesus is telling us that we need to put ourselves last, that we need to put our lives aside for others. Starting with our friends and family. Are we prepared to give up that Sunday golf game to go watch our son play baseball or soccer? Are we enthusiastic to give up that $4 cup of coffee every morning to give the homeless man on the corner a $20 or, are we eager to give up an evening of watching television to go to a bible study? Are we willing to “lay down” to put aside, ourselves for the good of another?

Through out this passage Jesus uses’ “obey…commands” several times. Do you think He is trying to tell us something? If we follow Christ command to love Him and the Father, then to love one another, all other commands will fall into place and we will be His disciples and we will bear must fruit and bring glory to the Father. Straightforward to say, difficult to follow!

Jesus goes on to talk about how we are not His slaves, back then a rabbi’s disciples were considered servants or “slaves”, but here Jesus has elevated us to friends. Jesus says that we are His friends because He has shared with us all that the Father has told Him, and we did not choose Him but He chose us! I don’t know about you but when I read this I get goose bumps! God in flesh says that He chose me! The Word from the beginning that was with and was God chose me! Hallelujah! No I must go and produce lasting fruit so the Father will give me whatever I ask for in Christ name, and obey His command to: LOVE EACH OTHER!

Father, you have given me so much to be grateful for that I just want to celebrate my life in you. Your gifts and blessings make me thankful, I need your strength to make me loving and wise. Make me responsible; fill me with your joy! Make me a loving Christian, a valuable example to all who I come into contact with. Lord I want to be your devoted servant this day forward. In the name of Your Son, my friend… Jesus Christ. Amen.