Abiding in His Love

Jesus loves us the same way the Father loves Him. Jesus commands us to remain in that love. He wants us to obey his commandments as a sign of remaining in his love. He wants our joy to be complete. He wants us to love others as He has loved us. [John 15:9-12]


The Message states it this way:

"I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love. I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you."

Jesus' love is complete. It is true. It is pure. It is never failing. We can draw on that love to give us the strength to love others, even those that may seem "unlovable". In order to rely on this love, we must remember that without Him we can do nothing [John 15:4]. He will empower us to keep His commands.

Love is a fruit of the Spirit. We cannot force the fruit to grow. When we rely on Him through the power of the Holy Spirit love will be evident in our lives. This is not always easy. Our selfish desires get in the way. We want to be right. We want to win the argument. We want our own way. But this is not resting and abiding in the Vine. We are not letting the Spirit take control.

I want the Holy Spirit to have control of my life and actions. I want to remain in the joy of Christ and obey His commands. It is not easy easy to do in my own strength. But it is worth it. The benefits of doing so are joy and gladness which are full, complete, and overflowing.