Today’s Reading: John 14:18-31 and 15:9-17

“If you love me, obey my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” – John 14:15-17a

IF YOU LOVE ME, OBEY MY COMMANDMENTS. —John 14:15

It’s a simple but very strong statement made by Jesus. He goes on to explain what it looks like for someone to respond to their love for Jesus by obeying what He has told them to do and how He has told them to live.

“I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. 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. 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. This is my command: Love each other.” – John 15:9-17

YOU ARE MY FRIENDS IF YOU DO WHAT I COMMAND. — John 15:14

This is another strong statement made by Jesus. If you truly love me, if you are really my friend, you will obey what I command. He then goes on to clearly define what He is commanding His friends to do – Love each other! Love each other the way I have loved you. I am about to lay my life down for you, my friends. That is the kind of love I am asking from you – to love me with that kind of love and to love each other with that kind of love.

That is a strong request for Jesus to ask from us – no, not a request but a command. Some people are easier to love than others. We are human and Jesus is asking us to do something that stretches us beyond ourselves. But Jesus does not ask us to love in our own strength. We could, for a very little while, but our love for others would not last long if we are trying to produce something from nothing – love for someone who is hard to love, who possibly does not give love in return.

We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. – 1 John 4:16

Jesus goes on to explain how this is going to work. He is going to remain in the Father and we are going to remain in Him and He is going to remain in us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. This connection is where the Father and His Son make their HOME with each of us. It is in this connection that Jesus reveals Himself to us because He loves us and we love Him, therefore God loves us! Let’s look at the Scripture that draws the picture of our connection with God the Father and Jesus the Son.

“When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in the 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…All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our HOME with each of them. Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me.” – John 14:20-21, 23-24a

ANYONE WHO DOESN’T LOVE ME WILL NOT OBEY ME. — John 14:24a

Obey me because you love; love by obeying. His instructions are simple and his gift of the Holy Spirit is generous. He does not ask us to do something he has not equipped us to do. Let’s open up our hearts and allow God to make His HOME in us.