If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15 #2

In yesterday’s post, I pasted in the scripture passage and then typed in the notes from my study bible.  (Just as a reminder, I use the New Living Translation, Life Application Study Bible.)  You can refresh your memory by reading through that if you’d like before reading my thoughts for today.  If you love me, obey my commandments. John 14:15

 

“If you love me, obey my commandments.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.  No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.  Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”  John 14:15-21

 

This has often been one of my favorite scriptures.  It has been such a comfort in times of trial.  It has been a schoolmaster when I wanted to do my own thing.  It has been a reminder that I am chosen even when I have felt left out.  It has been an affirmation to me about this life and the life to come when things look so bleak and undesirable.  It is a ‘well-rounded’ scripture, if you’ll allow me to say so.

 

The very first thing Jesus says in this passage is to obey His commandments.  By doing so, then we are proclaiming to not only Him – most importantly – but to the world that we love Jesus.  We could go through the entire bible and come up with more commandments than we could garner the strength to attempt to obey.  But as Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’  This is the first and greatest commandment.  A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”  I think the key – the one thing – that both of these verses rest upon is the word “love.” 

 

What does it mean to love?  Is loving God the same as loving your neighbor, or loving yourself?  What about the love for a child, a parent or a sibling?  What kind of love is Jesus talking about?  When people talk about this they usually bring in the word agape love.  That’s great, everybody knows that word, so I’m not going to discuss ‘agape’ the word, but ‘agape’ the meaning.  I like to be different I guess.

 

When I think about how the scriptures continually encourage me to pattern my life after Jesus and to seek Him first, His kingdom, and to live a life pleasing to God, I think the one common thing to do all of that is to live my life as a life of love.  Now of course, that is easily said, but no even slightly easily accomplished.

 

I think about the love of God.  God loved me so much that He sent His Son to bear my sins on the cross so that I would be made acceptable to Him and so I could be adopted into His family. 

 

I think about the love of Jesus.  Jesus loved me so much that He was willing to come to this sin-filled earth to bear my sins on the cross so that I would be made acceptable to Him and to the Father and so I could be adopted into His family as a co-heir with Him. 

 

I think about the full revelation of God.  God is revealed in the scriptures as a loving father, a devoted husband, a tenderhearted master.  As such, He lovingly corrects and administers discipline as and when needed.  But He also applies the soothing salve of mercy, grace and longsuffering as well because of His love.  God is revealed in the physical body of Christ.  The physical being of Jesus, walking around on this earth, was the very essence of love abiding within.  He was the epitome of love.  Isaiah said like a lamb led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth…when He was reviled, He reviled not again…etc. 

 

I could go on, but then this post would drag on forever.  The point is, I should embody the Spirit of Christ – or – LOVE.  I should be love, just as Jesus was and is.  Now, don’t misconstrue my words here, I know that I cannot achieve this, but I can always work towards that goal.  Only Jesus could do it because He is perfect, without sin.

 

I think I’ll leave it at this for today.  Almost each sentence or thought in this passage I have something to say and I don’t want to short change any of it, nor rush through my thoughts, but I want to spend time with each thought.  So, tomorrow, I think I’ll plan on looking at this scripture passage again.

 

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.  Psalm 139:23-24  I give my body to You because of all You have done for me.  Let my body be a living and holy sacrifice – the kind You will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship You.  I won’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but I will let You transform me into a new person by changing the way I think.  Then I will learn to know Your will for me, which is good and pleasing and perfect.  Romans 12:1-2

 

May God provide the increase.