So many songs, poems, and music abound in the secular world about Love. Despite this, not many have a ‘formula’ for remaining in love. Today’s Holy Nougat invites this reflection.
John 15:9-10 NLT
““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.”
Abide in Gods Love
In this very intimate conversation between Y’shua and the disciples, Y’shua bares His heart to the disciples. Aware that His time had come, Y’shua sought to offer them Hope. The words might have been forgotten in the weighty time of waiting between Y’shua’s death and resurrection. However, they offer us Hope now as we seek to figure life between His Ascension and Return.
After making His pronouncement about being the True Vine and our fruitfulness, Y’shua continues with the theme of connectedness, but frames it within the context of Love. Everyone needs to be loved. Yes, everyone. And Y’shua offers this Love to us all. With a caveat, but it’s ours for the taking.
Y’shua begins with the assertion of a Love that is stronger than life itself. Why do I say this Love is stronger than Life itself?, you ask. This is the Love that’s rooted in YHWH’s Love for Y’shua. It’s not just any parent-child Love, it was birthed in Heaven and manifested here on earth. It reminds me of God’s Word to Israel via Jeremiah: ’I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving-kindness I have drawn you and continued my faithfulness to you.’ This is the same timeless Love offered us by Y’shua.
He then invited the disciples, and now us, to remain in Him and His Love. The word remain is similar in meaning as ‘abide’, which is actually the reference made about us as branches of the vine. This suggests that Fruit we bear is rooted in Gods Love. And before we could ask that crucial question, Y’shua offered simple and straightforward instructions. Abiding, or remaining in God’s love comes when we’re obedient.
Initially that sounds strange.
Why should obeying God’s Commandment be the litmus test of our love for Y’shua? It doesn’t really connect – except it does. For disobedience to anyone at all says, ’I choose to be independent of you, and so I’m not bound to you. Disobeying God’s commandments says we choose to spurn Y’shua’s Love and do our own thing.
Permit me to digress enough to say that I believe Judas didn’t abide in Y’shua’s Love after he took the sop. And we know what happened there. It is worth remembering that Judas was so disillusioned afterwards that he couldn’t find reason to live.
Within the Jewish tradition, there are 613 binding commandments, although most of us are only familiar with 10. These 613 laws cover almost all aspects of life, and could be hard for us to follow. But Y’shua narrowed it down and offers us TWO:
– Love God with our entire tripartite being (heart, mind, and soul) and
– Love our neighbors as we love ourselves (see Matthew 22:37). While we think the first is easy, it really isn’t accomplished without us living the latter.
My theory – we can’t begin to fathom Love for God until we love ourselves. And if we love our neighbors as we love ourselves, then these wars that are popping up like recreational drugs would cease.
Nevertheless, when we receive Christ’s Love, it permeates our entire being, enabling us to love even the hard-to-love because we see Y’shua shining forth. That is how we remain in Love, we keep God’s Love flowing. We look for opportunities to demonstrate that love – to ourselves, our neighbors, and to God – because God First loved us.
Abide and remain – the secret is Love
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May all we seek be found in Christ
