Tag: faith

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Created for a Purpose

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w6d3

Read: Ephesians 2:8-10 and SOAP: Ephesians 2:10

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:8-10

Paul makes it clear to his audience that salvation is totally an act of God’s love. It is a gift of God’s grace and not something we can take credit for. Salvation is not by any work that we can do, will do, or have done. On top of the fact that salvation cannot be earned, as bibleref.com explains, even the good that we do was planned for us long ago.

God calls us His workmanship or His artwork, from the Greek word poiēma. We are something crafted, with skill and a purpose, by God, for His purposes. Specifically, we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Good works do not give us salvation, but they are absolutely meant to be the result of salvation.

Bibleref.com/Ephesians 2:10

While it can be tempting to see someone else use their spiritual gift and try to imitate it or wish to be like them, be careful not to fall into that trap. For, as Paul teaches us here, each of us has been created in Christ Jesus to do good works – works that He created us to do.

Today’s journal entry by Love God Greatly points out that “God’s plan for each of us is personal, unique, and perfectly fitted for who He created us to be.”

“The ‘good works’ God prepared for you may look different than those He’s assigned to someone else, but each is essential and equally valued in His eyes. Some may be called to serve in their homes, nurturing their families with love and faith. Others may be called to workplaces, schools, or hospitals, bringing light and hope into environments that need Jesus.

Abiding in Christ means recognizing that wherever He places us, we’re equipped to bear fruit for His glory.

Love God Greatly, Abiding in Jesus, p179

Father, we are Your workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that you prepared in advance for us to do. May our lives be a daily offering to You, in whatever You have called us to do; and may each act bring You glory- In Jesus’ name. – Amen

Friends, let’s praise Him daily for creating us with a purpose and equipping us with His Spirit that we might bear fruit for His glory. May God open our eyes to the work He wants us to do, and may our hearts and hands be yielded to serving Him well.

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

“I Chose You”

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w6d2

Read and SOAP: John 15:16

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.

John 15:16

Early on in this journey, we learned or were reminded that we are filled with God’s Spirit and called to bear His fruit. Today’s Scripture adds to this knowledge that not only are we commissioned to bear fruit, but we are also chosen by Christ.

Friends, I believe this is a crucial part of our faith. It is a truth that we must grasp to truly understand and appreciate the relationship we have been given with God – the Father, Son, and Spirit.

We were not only chosen, but we were given purpose and the responsibility to go and produce lasting fruit. Or, as today’s journal entry explains: “We didn’t just stumble into a relationship with Jesus by chance. He saw us, loved us, and appointed us for an incredible purpose. And make no mistake, this is not a random selection but a deliberate choice made by the Creator of the universe. He hasn’t just chosen us to become His own but to have a fruitful life, a life with the lasting legacy of love and service that reaches through eternity.”

Because of this relationship with Christ, who abides in us and has invited us to abide in Him, we have the privilege of asking anything, according to God’s will. We have also been told to expect to receive what we ask for. While this is a wonderful promise, we must be careful to understand what it is to pray according to God’s will. Borrowing again from today’s journal entry, I’m sharing what I believe is a helpful explanation/example of praying according to God’s will.

What are some of the things we can ask for in the name of Jesus? A godly character and lasting fruit! To be a fruitful Christian, it is absolutely essential that we come to God in faith through prayer, expecting Him to work in us the things we ask for. We abide in Jesus by depending on Him for fruit, and the way we show our dependence is through prayer – through asking Him and trusting Him to answer.

Abiding in Jesus, p175

Surely we are thankful to belong to and be loved by God. Yet, it can be daunting to realize the responsibility to bear fruit that lasts. May God help us to abide in Jesus every day that He gives, and may He help us make a lasting impact for His Kingdom. – Amen

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control …

Galatians 5:22-23

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Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

What a Friend!

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w5d1

Read and SOAP: John 15:15

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.

John 15:15

Jesus had just announced to His disciples that if they followed His commands, they were His friends, John 15:14. Now, He clarifies the friendship even further, telling them that He no longer considers their relationship to be one of master and slave but instead, one of friendship. His reasoning is both beautiful and an encouragingly exciting disclosure that everything He has been telling them has come from the Father. In other words, they are part of the inner circle. As His disciples of Jesus, we are on the inside as well. We do not have to wonder what God expects from us, because Jesus reveals it to us. We never have to worry about Him leaving us, and we can embrace and delight in His invitation to abide in ah.

If you know me very well, you most likely know that I have trust issues. So great were the issues at one point in my life that I laid aside or walked away from nearly all friendships, convinced that I was better off without them, and they without me. I maintained acquaintances but never or rarely allowed meaningful or deep relationships to develop. In some ways, I became an island to myself and embraced it. Please understand, I do not advocate this way of life, nor do I live it any longer. I believe God means for us to do life with one another, and I am blessed to say that while I walked away from some wonderful friendships, God, in His perfect timing, restored many of them and uses them to this day to teach me the value and blessing of friendship.

I have some pretty awesome besties. Friends from elementary and high school, my daughters, and a few others God has gifted me with through the decades of my life. Some I see or am in contact with others, others only on occasion, and some almost daily. I am blessed to share in their lives, the celebrated milestones, the needs, and sorrows. I treasure knowing I can confide in them and am honored when they confide in me. If I call or message them, I know they will be there for me – to pray, to talk, to cry, or just to listen. I am most blessed. However, today’s beautiful words of Jesus are a wonderful reminder that these gifts of friendship will never match my friendship with Jesus. His friendship has changed me from the inside out, or as today’s journal entry puts it: “Friendship with Jesus changes everything. As His friends, we have the privilege of coming to Him, talking with Him, and listening to His voice. He doesn’t keep us in the dark about what He’s doing; instead, He shares with us the very heart of God.”

Abiding in Christ is an invitation to know Him deeply and join Him in His purpose for our lives as friends. Imagine that—Jesus, the Son of God, calls us His friends! He isn’t distant or disconnected from our lives. Instead, He draws us close, sharing His heart and His mission with us and including us in the incredible work He is doing around us.

Abiding in Jesus/p145

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

The Expression of God’s Love

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based on Abiding in Jesus, w5d4

Read 1 John 4:11-16 and SOAP 1 John 4:11-12

Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other. 12 No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and his love is brought to full expression in us.

1 John 4:11-12

Picking up where we left off in the previous post, we know that God loved us while we were still sinners, needing to be saved. He sent His Son into the world to save us, which is wonderful and undeniable evidence that He loved us first. Continuing his teaching, John teaches that since God loved us so much that He sent His Son to save us, surely we should – and can – love one another. He also makes it clear that we should be loving one another. Specifically, as Jesus taught, we are to not just love but we are to love as Christ has loved us, (Jn 13:34). In other words, we are not to love based on the merit of another person or how we feel about them personally, but rather on the demonstration of God’s love for us, through Christ. 🦋

As has been pointed out throughout this journey, loving others isn’t always as easy as it sounds. However, I love the hope that today’s LGG Journal entry offers:

“As Christians, we have been born again, and this new birth has created a connection between God’s love for us and love for each other. The new birth happens when the Holy Spirit connect our dead, selfish hearts with GOd’s loving and living and loving heart. His love can now become our love. If God – who is love, is our Father, we will share more and more in that nature of love.

When we find it impossible to really love those around us, we should remember the deep connection we have with the Vine. The heart of Jesus is full of love towards us and everyone we have to deal with. He is more than capable of filling our hearts with His love for others. As we abide in Christ, let’s ask Him for that love.”

Abiding in Jesus/Journal p157

Friends, let’s thank Jesus for His deep and perfect love. May He help us to abide in His love each day, allowing it to flow through us to others. –

A song of response

The love of God is greater far
  Than tongue or pen can ever tell.
It goes beyond the highest star
  And reaches to the lowest hell.
The guilty pair, bowed down with care,
  God gave His Son to win;
His erring child He reconciled
  And pardoned from his sin.

O love of God, how rich and pure!
  How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure—
    The saints’ and angels’ song.

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

God’s Love Changes Everything

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based on, Abiding in Jesus, w5d3

In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

1 John 4:10

Throughout our journey, we have read Jesus teaching His disciples about the love of God, the importance of loving God, the importance of loving others as Jesus has loved us, and obeying Jesus’ commands. In today’s journey, we find John teaching others many of these same lessons. Why? Because they are crucial practices for abiding in Jesus.

Friends, it is paramount that we understand the truth of verse 10. God’s love is the truest and deepest of loves. Paraphrasing and borrowing from today’s LGG journal entry, God’s love is a love that cannot be earned, nor brought about by our response to God. … The truth is God loved us and gave His Son for us long before we loved Him; and long before we knew who Jesus was or took an interest in Him – He not only loved us but took our place and punishment on an old rugged cross. The depth of this truth changed everything for me. The more I understood the reality of God loving me first, the more I wanted to know Him, walk with Him, talk with Him, and live like Jesus. I learned exactly what our journey has been teaching us. I needed to not just go through the motions of a Christian, I needed to abide in Jesus. I learned to stay close to Jesus, soak in His love, and eventually, I realized that God was using that love, born from abiding, to transform my heart. The real change came as I learned to rest in the assurance that God deeply and unconditionally loved me. In time, I realized I was experiencing the very thing Paul hoped for the Ephesians (3:14-19) – when he prayed that they would know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge so that they would be filled up to all the fullness of God. – Friends, “The more we grasp the love of Jesus for us, the more we will be filled with divine life and love,” [that can only come from God].

We will never abide so much that we don’t need to abide anymore. Nor will there come a time when we no longer need Jesus abiding in us. This is why I pray you will join me in the goal and journey of always growing in the understanding of God’s immeasurable love for us.

Borrowing from the LGG prayer today, I give thanks for the unfailing love of God and our Savior, Jesus Christ. I am asking God to help us abide in Jesus daily, and to grace us with a deeper understanding of His great love for us. May He open the eyes of our hearts – In the name and power of Jesus. Amen!

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Friends

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based on the LGG study, Abiding in Jesus, w5d2

Read and SOAP: John 15:13-14

There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command.

John 15:13-14

Truly loving others, by “laying down” one’s life, means “abiding” in the love of Christ (John 15:8–11), in a consistent, moment-by-moment approach.

bibleref.com

I love the double layer of these verses. First comes the reminder of just how great the love of Jesus is. Then, the excitement and blessing of hearing Jesus say, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” Who wouldn’t want a friend like Jesus? Oh, friends, may we be friends like Jesus to the lost and hurting world around us. May we truly love others by laying down our lives and abiding in the love of Christ in a consistent, moment-by-moment approach.🦋

When we abide in Jesus, we are connected to Him in such a way that His love can now become our love. True love isn’t passive; it’s a choice to give of ourselves in ways that cost us something. It might be our time, attention, or our resources. Real love, the kind that Jesus commands, is sacrificial. It’s the willingness to lay down our lives for the sake of someone else.

Loving others this way is both a privilege and a challenge. It’s a privilege because it’s how we reflect Jesus to the world, showing the beauty of His love. But it’s also a challenge because it calls us beyond comfort and into places of surrendering and service. That’s especially tough for us who live in an age of “entitlement,” where everyone seems to be obsessed with their own rights and their own well-being.

When we abide in Christ, we may ask Him to make our dry hearts be so filled with His love that we can overflow with love to those around us. This is how we remain in His love — by letting His love move through us to bless and uplift others.

The more we abide in Jesus, the more our lives reflect His love in action. We become more patient, more compassionate, and more willing to give even when it’s hard. And in that giving, we discover the joy and purpose of living a life that glorifies Him. Aiding in Christ means loving as He loved — faithfully, selflessly, and with a heart that desires to obey.

From today’s Love God Greatly Journal entry/p149

-Echoing the prayer of the Love God Greatly team, may Jesus help us to abide in Him every day so that His love can flow through me to others. May we learn to love with a heart that gives and serves. Amen –

The More We Know

Both today’s devotional and Scripture indicate that the more we abide in Jesus, the more our lives reflect His love in action – let’s listen again to Teach me to Abide. Oh, that it might become a song that is repeated often in our mind and heart and flows from our lips.

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Jesus Joy

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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.

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Building on the Rock

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based on Abiding in Jesus, w4d4

Read and SOAP: Matthew 7:24-25

Building on The Rock

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. 25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

Matthew 7:24-25

How firm a foundation are you standing on? Will you be able to stand strong when the rain falls and the waters rise? When the winds of life blow hard, will you be able to stand firm?

Friends, we must commit to building a firm foundation on the rock of ages, the rock of our salvation – Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth, and the life. When you need refuge, make it your habit to flee to Jesus. Trust that God will strengthen you, help you, and hold you up with His victorious right hand. You can depend on Him, even in your deepest distress, your fiery trials, or river of sorrows. For this I know to be true – He will pour out, in bountiful supply, His all-sufficient grace ~ and prove His sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love. Find rest in him my friend, for He has promised to never forsake those who abide and find their rest in Him. Though the worst of evils attempt to shake us – He stands with us and for us and will never leave us as prey to our foes1

The More We Know

Key Scriptural Connections

  • Isaiah 41:10:This verse, which speaks of God’s presence and strength, is echoed in the hymn’s second verse, which assures believers of God’s aid and support. 
  • Isaiah 43:2:The hymn’s third verse about facing deep waters and fiery trials is reminiscent of Isaiah 43:2, where God promises to be with those who go through trials. 
  • Hebrews 13:5:The hymn’s promise of never being forsaken is a direct reference to Hebrews 13:5, which states that God will never leave or forsake His people. 
  • Matthew 7:24-27: The hymn’s overall theme of building a life on a solid foundation is inspired by this parable, which emphasizes the importance of building on the rock of Jesus’s teachings. 
  • 1 Corinthians 3:11: This verse highlights Jesus Christ as the only foundation for believers, which aligns with the hymn’s message of faith in God’s word. 

Into the Text, by LGG, offers more beautiful insight in today’s post. Read it, soak it in and look for ways to build upon the Rock – the firm foundation of Jesus Christ (1 Cor 10:4; Psalm 62:6 and 18:2)

Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, Know These Truths, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

The Proof is in the Living

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based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w4d2

Read James 1:22-25 and SOAP: James 1:22

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. 23 For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:22-25

Our works do not save us, but they do bear witness to our salvation through Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

If you know me or have followed my posts, you most likely know that 2 Corinthians 5:17 is one of my key life verses.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away—look, what is new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

The truth of Paul’s words rocked my world many years ago and continues to push me to live as a new creation and not the old. For, as Paul wrote to the Church at Ephesus, we have been created in God’s image–in righteousness and holiness that comes from truth. What a beautiful reminder of the need and reason for believers to abide in Jesus (the Way, Truth, and Life) – for how can we be like one we do not know or spend time with?

Today’s journal entry in Abiding in Jesus, by Love God Greatly, explains it like this: “When we become Christians, we are given a new nature, a new birth. The Holy Spirit comes to live in us. He is the sap flowing from the vine into the branches, producing a godly character. That is why when we abide in Christ, we will bear fruit.”

James reminds us that becoming a Christian is only the beginning. The real proof of a person having been born again is that he or she will now ‘live out the message.'”

Living for Jesus a life that is true,
Striving to please Him in all that I do;
Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,
This is the pathway of blessing for me.

O Jesus, Lord and Savior,
I give myself to Thee,
For Thou, in Thy redemption,
Didst give Thyself for me;
I own no other Master,
My heart shall be Thy throne,
My life I give, henceforth to live,
O Christ, for Thee alone.

Living for Jesus who died in my place,
Bearing on Calv’ry my sin and disgrace;
Such love constrains me to answer His call,
Follow His leading and give Him my all.

Living for Jesus, Author: Thomas O. Chisholm (1917)

Of course, “Living for Jesus” comes with challenges that we all struggle with. As the Love God Greatly entry points out, “The walk of a Christian is not an uninterrupted series of victories over sin. We often stumble and fail. Sometimes it looks like we are going two steps forward and three steps backward. But if we belong to Jesus, we will have victories over sin again and again. We will be different from the way we used to be. We will steadily grow in holiness and godly character. We have a living faith, not a dead, fake one. We are a living branch, abiding in the Vine and producing good fruit. The Father will make sure His children walk in His ways, to prove that we really belong to Him. We know these works do not justify us, but they are the proof of our having been made new in Jesus.”

Friends, my prayer is that God will help us to be more than spectators or listeners of His Word. May we have the courage and faithful commitment to abide in Jesus, the Living Word, and to live it out every day. May we be always mindful that while our works do not save us, they glorify God in Heaven and give evidence that we have been made new through Jesus Christ. To God be all the glory, praise, and honor. Amen and Amen!

The More We Know

If you do not know Jesus, I invite you to read the truths about who He is and what He has done for you.

https://atomic-temporary-62140760.wpcomstaging.com/2023/03/14/know-these-truths/
Posted in Abide, Abiding in jesus, Bible study, Devotion, From the Insideout, Journey Through The Word, LGG Study, Prayer Starters, Quiet Time

Remain in my Love

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Based on the LGG Study, Abiding in Jesus, w4d1

Read and SOAP: John 15:9-10

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain (abide) in my love. 10 When you obey my commandments, you remain (abide) in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain (abide) in his love.

John 15:9-10

Several verses came to mind as I was contemplating today’s passage.

  • The first was John 14:15, where Jesus told His disciples: “If you love me, you will obey me.”
  • The second one was the words of Jesus at the Mount of Olives, where He prayed: “Father, not my will but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42
  • Last, but not least, was the command of Jesus to His disciples in John 13:34: “Love one another; Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”

After reading through today’s verses I backed up for a broader understanding of the text and found that, in this same conversation with His disciples, Jesus declared in John 14:11 that “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” In other words, they (the Father and Son) are intertwined in love and purpose. This being said, it stands to reason that Jesus’ love is a reflection of God’s love; and likewise, when we remain in Jesus, we will live obediently and love deeply reflecting God’s love to the people/world around us.

As believers we have a choice to follow the Jesus Way or go our own way. The first leads to life, joy, and peace. It offers forgiveness and freedom and a close relationship with God (Father, Son, and Spirit). Going our own way, on the other hand, leads to misery in the ‘wilderness’, which is separation or interruption to an otherwise close/right relationship with God through Jesus Christ.1

When we learn to remain in His love, obedience stops being a burden and becomes a beautiful response to the One who loves us beyond measure. It becomes an act of trust, knowing that His rules are rooted in His perfect love for us.

Love God Greatly, Abiding in Jesus, p119

Friends, have you ever read something or heard someone speaking and wondered how they knew exactly what you were thinking or had done? Today’s devotion by Love God Greatly, for w4d1 of Abiding in Jesus, is one of those scenarios for me, specifically, the way she prayed for her girls. What follows that first paragraph is, in large part, mirrored in my own journal entry for today, which was written a day before I ever read the LGG entry I’m sharing below.

INTO THE TEXT: by love God Greatly, journal entry from, Abiding in Jesus,p119

Through the years, I have prayed that as my girls grew, their love for God would deepen. My prayer has always been that they would understand obedience to God isn’t about checking boxes or following a list of rules but about responding to His overwhelming love for them.

When we grow in our relationship with Jesus and learn to abide in Him more and more each day, He begins to transform us from the inside out, giving us both the desire and the strength to obey Him. When we learn to remain in His love, obedience stops being a burden and becomes a beautiful response to the One who loves us beyond measure. It becomes an act of trust, knowing that His rules are rooted in His perfect love for us.

To abide in Jesus’ love is to live in the assurance that we are deeply cherished. His love changes everything. It fuels our desire to follow Him and enables us to reflect that love to others. Joyful, willing obedience is very different from begrudgingly following a set of rules. It comes from delighting in Jesus and letting His love so fill our hearts that we will, in turn, love Him with all of our hearts.

The key to obedience is love. The more we fall in love with Jesus, the more willing we are to follow Him. And as we do, our relationship with Him deepens, allowing us to bear fruit that blesses others and fills our hearts with joy.

Prayer, Abiding in Jesus, by LGG/p119

Dear Jesus, thank you for cherishing me. Help me to remain in your love and to obey You out of my love for You. Teach me to walk closely with You and bear fruit that brings You glory. Amen.

The More We Know

For more insight, check out today’s LGG Blog Post