Advent with Pressed Olives: Day 23

Love

“You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.” John 15:14

When I read this verse all alone it’s 2D, stale, and unfeeling. It doesn’t seem like a relational transaction. “You do this, then I’ll be  your friend.” That doesn’t sound like God, does it?

I’m sharing this because so often we take one liners from scripture and apply- and not always positively. Like I did with this scripture. I didn’t mean to, but I took the single verse and applied without using the verses around it for context.

Come see….

“This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.”

‭‭John‬ ‭15‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

The command as His friends is to love. I am so needy! I just want, want, want, need, need,need. I’m so busy and caught up in wanting to be loved, that I ignore being love.

Loving others is no choice, there is no permission slip required- we are commanded to be love. And yes, it’s difficult and uncomfortable- you can be confident that you’re striving to obey in your own might.

Loving the way God commands requires supernatural capabilities. But this my friends is the good news edition! God has equipped you with His Holy Spirit to do supernatural things! And that includes love.

I want to be a better representation of this. I’m not there yet- but my heart is- my yes is- and the rest I’ll leave up to God. He is after all the One who leads, equips, and trains but I believe this attribute is learned in proximity. The more time you spend with God intimately in the secret place the more your heart responds as His and less worried about yourself.

“By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.””

‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭35‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

This Christmas, I encourage you to spend some extra time in the “secret place” with Him, with the One who is love Himself. And even know contemplate His love for you.

Love came down as flesh,  Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God with us, to redeem ALL people from the grip of sin through His life laid down. That is love.

My personal prayer regarding love is:

Lord, let me love like you, without reserve or

concern for myself. I want to look like you in how I love, in how You have compassion on your children. Thank you for giving me your Holy Spirit to make this possible. I’m not walking by my own might but by Your Spirit! In Jesus’ name amen and let it be so.