John 14-17
November 19, 2014

Our reading covers so much ground today there is no way to give appropriate attention to all of it.   So I have selected one thought to comment on here.

I have the impression in chapters 14 and 15 that Jesus has a key teaching He is trying to get across, and that is to love one another.    If we truly love one another most of the Gospel works itself out.  Service and worship become times of regeneration and not a drain on our energy.    Much has been said and written about obeying the commands of God.   There is so much to do, and so many different ways in which it could be accomplished....how do we know we are doing the right things, and doing them in the right way?
I think as long as we love the Lord, we will do several things: 1.  we will read what He has said (the Bible) and 2. we will talk with Him (prayer).    These two activities, motivated by love for the person Jesus Christ will inform the rest of our decisions.  Study and prayer will help us realize that the people who have different opinions than ours are loved equally by the Master.    The manner in which we worship may not be preferred, but it will always be tolerable, perhaps even enjoyable...in spite of the fact that it isn't our preference
We will find energy in serving.  Sharing our faith will not drain us, it will invigorate us and motivate us.   We will be filled with inexpressible happiness in spite of the dire circumstances that we occasionally find ourselves in.
I have personally witnessed this joy in others when they did not seem to have anything to be delighted about.   Yet their joy was in the knowing of the Savior.   In that knowledge...in that relationship Jesus had somehow given them both a peace and a joy that was enviable by the most wealthy among us.
If we stay close to the Lord, we will remain obedient.  Not because of duty, but out of love.  It will not be burdensome to love our neighbor, or even our enemies, because the ability to love them will come from outside us, poured into our spirit by the Holy Spirit, who is the wellspring of all love.   If we truly love one another, and by that I mean love each other with Agape style love, sacrificing and giving up our own desires for one another we will see the Gospel lived out among us.

This is what Jesus had in mind when He prayed for us.  That we would find the motivation to love one another in spite of our differences, and that together we would live out Gospel.

The world is hungry for such devotion, people yearn to be filled with the passion that comes from a loving relationship with Jesus Christ.


PR