based on Abiding in Jesus, w5d1
Read and SOAP: John 15:11-12
I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may be complete. 12 My commandment is this—to love one another just as I have loved
you
John 15:11-12
Jesus’ joy didn’t depend on the absence of pain or conflict but rested in a deeper assurance. ~ Abiding in Christ can bring us that same assurance. The more we abide in Him, the less the world’s troubles sway us, and the more His peace and joy fill our hearts. Abiding doesn’t remove us from life’s challenges, but it gives us a firm foundation to stand on.
Abiding in Jesus/p145: Read the whole post here
This week’s theme is abiding in Jesus’ love. With the exception of one day with Paul in Romans, we will spend most of the week reading the writings of John. We will continue to be reminded of the richness of Jesus’s love and how it has been revealed to us. We will also pick up the repetitive and necessary teaching of this study about how we, the disciples of Jesus, are to love others.
Today’s passage challenges us once again to love others as Jesus has loved us. As we have noted before, this is a command that is repeated throughout the Gospels and is noted by Jesus to be the first and greatest commandment. It may be tempting to skim it or skip over it, but I encourage you to soak it in each time you read it or hear it, and pray often that God will help you to faithfully practice the command: My commandment is this—to love one another just as I have loved you.
It’s tempting to read this edict from Jesus Christ with discouragement. Christ was sinless and perfect (Hebrews 4:15), so when He commands us to love each other the way He loved us, it’s challenging. Worse, it can seem impossible: as fallible people, we don’t always feel happy thoughts about others, even fellow Christians. The thought that we’re obligated to feel perfect, joyful affection towards others is daunting. The prospect of martyrdom can be terrifying (John 15:13). However, that is not what Christ means in this statement.
Of course, His life and conduct are a born-again believer’s goal (John 13:15). So far as we can, we want to respond to other people in a Christlike way. But Jesus is not telling believers “feel about other people the way I do.” Nor is He demanding we be sinlessly, infallibly perfect. Rather, our love needs to echo the character of Christ’s love. This involves two main ideas.
First, we should realize the “love” Jesus speaks of is practical, not emotional. …Second, we are meant to echo the nature of Christ’s love.
Bibleref.com/read the full commentary HERE
Jesus Joy
While I know the focus of this week is Abiding in Jesus through Love, what jumps out to me in this passage is JOY … and not just any joy but ‘Jesus’ Joy. He wants us to understand the importance of abiding SO THAT – HIS JOY may be in us and our joy may be complete. When we abide in Him – when we obey Him, we will know His joy; and we will love as He has loved us. Loving as Christ has loved us is a call to love sacrificially, wholeheartedly, faithfully, demonstratively, and joyfully.
The More We Know
“Not My will but Yours be done.”
When I read the familiar stanza: “love one another just as I have loved you,” the words of Jesus, “not My will but Yours be done,“ came to mind. I found myself jotting down: “This should be our anthem when it comes to commands that seem burdensome or more than we can bear, or simply something we wish we didn’t have to do.” After all, these were the words of surrender that we hear in Jesus’ prayer to the Father, while He waited and wept with the knowledge of what was coming. It’s also worth noting that earlier in the evening, Jesus had set the example of a servant’s heart as He washed the feet of the disciples, even the feet of Judas, who He knew would betray Him. And of course, the ultimate example of sacrifice is the life-saving sacrifice for us (sinners who deserved the death He bore). Friends, this is what our love for God and others is supposed to look like. It is to reflect our love for and obedience to God/Jesus, not necessarily how we feel about another person. MefromtheNsideout 🦋
- For even more insight, read Monday’s LGG Blog.
Me From the Inside Out 