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.

Obey - Ouch

1) My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2) He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

3) We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. 4) The man who says, :I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5) But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: 6) Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. (1 John 2:1-6)

During this time of Lent, this scripture really tells me who I belong to and how I must react. In the first verse John makes a curious statement, “I write this to you so you will not sin.” We understand that as fallen humans we are born sin, however here John seems to think that if we follow what he is about to write that somehow it can prevent us from sinning. Then the very next line he helps us for the times we fail by saying, “But if anybody does sin, we have one who speaks to the Father I our defense – Jesus Christ, the Righteous one.” John does understand that we will make mistakes at the same time we can strive to live a sin-free life.

This scripture, as well as this time of year, reminds us what Jesus has done, and continues to do, for us. First he became man and took on our sin in his death and then defeated death with his resurrection. Verse three John tells us that we know that we have come to know Christ if we obey his commands. Ouch, obey, this seems to be a four-letter word today, one that causes us discomfort, well feel threatened, that if we have to obey anything or anybody, our human rights are compromised. However, John tells us in verse four, if we say we know Christ, “but does not do what he commands,” we are liars, the truth is not in us. John goes on to say here, if we do obey Christ words, “God’s love is truly made complete in,” in us.

The world will only know God’s love if we try to live a God centered righteous life. We have the power of God’s love living in us in the form of the Holy Spirit; the power that created everything lives in us. We need to allow this power to work through us, to reach the world with God’s love, through obedience of his word and commandments. We must work together with the Holy Spirit and try hard to live by the words John wrote here in verse six; “Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.”

Father permit Your Spirit to live through me, help me to live by the power of this Spirit to obey your commandments each and every day, and aid me in assisting other to live by your commandments. Father I need your wisdom to walk in the righteous footsteps of Your Son, to follow the path to Your kingdom. Father I need so much to trust in you not just for today Father but everyday until I get to come be with You. I pray this in the name of Jesus, Your Son, my Savior and Brother. Amen.