Love is the Answer!

Recently, the Lord has been showing me how to stay with him continually. I’ve noticed in my reading time that how we treat others is highly important to God and why wouldn’t it be? He gave the life of his Son for all of humanity. I am so amazed; I have never made this connection before in this way.

In John chapter 15, Jesus is speaking and he his showing us how to remain in him and remain in his love. Did you ever wish that you could be consciously connected to God constantly? That’s a mouthful, I know, but it is the best way I can communicate this principle of the Kingdom of God. Let’s look into the word and find out.

John 15:4-5 & 7 “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.”

Wow, so not only if we remain in him will be very fruitful for God but there is also a promise attached to this statement, that God will give us what we ask of him. If we remain in him and his word is in us we can’t ask amiss because he is in us! Our wishes have come from him who remains within us and why wouldn’t God grant his own desires through us? He wants to bring glory to himself so mankind will see him and know he’s real!

We had to have a place to begin, but how do we remain in him and in his love? Well, let’s read on…in verses 9-10, “As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

We remain in him and in his love by being obedient to Jesus’ command. This makes it possible for us to stay in a place of continual alignment with the Father! What is the command? Ah, here we go this is where it gets good in John 15:12, “My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.”

Ok, but what kind of “love” is he speaking about? How has he loved us? Again in verse 13, “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” This is what is called “Agape” love in the Greek and what that literally means according to the Strong’s Concordance is this… “To welcome, to entertain, to be fond of, to love dearly.”

This is a love that puts others before itself, that makes itself a servant to another and that is unconditional towards another.

This is the kind of love we are to have and if we are obedient and love others in this manner God says that he will keep us in Jesus and give us the things we ask him for. Have you been praying for something recently and can’t figure out why God won’t give it to you? Take a minute and ask yourself, how have I been treating others around me? My guess is that you will immediately know the answer.

This is not a way of manipulating God. This is walking in his ways and receiving the benefits of being obedient. I used to think that God had to give me this love but the scripture says we are to be obedient. This indicates to me that we have the love of God within us and we are disobedient when we choose not to love someone.

Our old nature would say, “You can’t love that person, look what they did to you.” In contrast, through the new nature that God has given us through Jesus we are to love them as he has loved us. He makes it clear that this is an issue of command and obedience and it is well within our ability to do because he has already extended his love to us. He showed us the way.

And now comes the test :) Pass it and be blessed!