Love one another so that you may abide in Jesus’ love
If you were to rate Jesus’ present love for you on a scale of 1-10, what number would you give?
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. (John 15:9-10)
Jesus begins by telling us of the absolutely incredible love He has for us. Consider His words carefully. What standard does Jesus provide to help us measure the degree to which He loves us?
The bible often points us to the cross to demonstrate the greatness of God’s love for us. ‘God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Romans 5:8) But here Jesus points to the love the Father has for the Son. He says, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.” The love Jesus has for you is the same as the love His Father has for Him. That is breathtaking. Stop and read it again slowly. Have you even begun to comprehend how much you are loved by Jesus? There is simply no greater comparison possible than the love of the Father for His beloved Son.
Think about Jesus with me for a moment. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature. In Jesus all the fullness of deity dwells bodily. That means there is nothing more beautiful, nothing more admirable, nothing more glorious and spectacular than Jesus Christ. And not only is Jesus infinitely loveable in what He is, but also in all that He does. He lives in perfect obedience to His Father. He loves His Father completely and does everything for the glory of His Father. The Father delights in the Son with perfect and infinite delight. He says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” And it is to this same degree that Jesus loves you.
There is a difference, however, between the love of the Father for the Son and the love of Jesus for you. The Father’s love for Jesus flows from Jesus’ worthiness. But Jesus’ love for you comes in spite of your unworthiness. It is gracious love, but amazingly He loves you like this all the same. Jesus wants you to know His incomprehensible love for you and live in it always.
I cannot do justice to Jesus’ indescribable love for you. I call you to meditate on this love and I pray with Paul that you may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:18-19)
Jesus has just spelt out the objective reality of His love for you. But does your experience measure up to the facts? Do you feel loved by Jesus in this absolutely unbelievable way?
This is where Jesus is going with you. He wants the fact of His love for you to line up with your experience. And so He gives you the command, “Abide in my love.” This does not mean you can lose the objective reality of His love. Clouds don’t stop the sun from shining, but they do hinder our experience of its light and warmth. Jesus wants you to remain constantly in the knowledge and experience and enjoyment of His love. How do you do that? Have longer quiet times? Fast for forty days? Go on a spiritual retreat? As good as these things may be, Jesus gives us a different answer. Read verses 9-10 again. How do we abide in Jesus’ love?
We abide in the experience of Jesus’ love by keeping His commandments. 'If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.' The clouds are cleared by the winds of obedience. This is the same for us as it was for Jesus. 'Just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love.' Remember His words to His disciples. “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me and to accomplish His work” (John 4:34).
Do you long to bask in the warmth of Jesus’ love? ‘If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love.’
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