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The Order of Love Most People Miss
Jesus looked at His disciples and said something that still has the power to transform everything: “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love” (John 15:9).
He wasn’t giving them a new religious duty. He was revealing the secret of how love actually works. Jesus could love them fully because He lived every day in the unbroken, unconditional love of His Father. That love was the source. It was the atmosphere He breathed. And from that place of being deeply loved, He poured out love on them. Many religious people jump straight to the command: “Love one another.” But Jesus showed us the order that makes it possible. First, continue in My love. Receive it. Rest in it. Let it define you. Only then can you love others the way He loves you. “This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you” (John 15:12). The “as I have loved you” is not a higher standard of effort. It is an invitation to the same source. If we never see love the way Jesus saw it—flowing from the Father to the Son, and from the Son to us—we will keep trying to manufacture something we were never meant to create on our own. We will talk about love, demand love, and even attempt to imitate love, but we will not walk, speak, or see people the way God desires. The life-changing truth is this: Jesus came to show us what it looks like to live completely secure in the Father’s love and then to love others from that place. Stay in His love. Everything else flows from there. Ed Elliot
Last Sunday Holy Spirit was so precious among us as we gathered to worship our God and hear a Word, “God Knows Me.” The scripture was taken from Psalms 139:1-18. These Scriptures tell us how intimately God knows us: “We are fearfully and wonderfully made. He knows our thoughts, knows what we speak before we say a word. He knows our rising up and sitting down.” It was so good to be reminded from the Word how much our Abba Father loves children. There is no fear of going to Him. Even though I knew God loved me- yes, He knows me; however Holy Spirit reinforced in my heart that God wants me to come to him with child-like faith. Simply as a child would go to their earthly father and say, “Hey Dad, what’s up?” That is a close, intimate relationship. You are comfortable with the one you are talking to. You are ready to hear and listen to what he has to say.
Last week I sat in my recliner (my prayer chair), opened up my laptop to a fresh page, and said, “Hey Lord, what’s up?” I don’t ever remember approaching God in that way before. I knew it was ok. It was not out of disrespect. I was comfortable coming to my Abba Father and having a conversation with him. After I said, “Hey, Lord, what’s up?” I immediately began to type under the inspiration of Holy Spirit, “The Lord says, what about peace?”
Today’s Word: The Power of Peace.
The love of God is extended to you everyday. The Lord’s grace is equal to anything you might face today. Walk in faith and be blessed. You are highly favored in God’s eyes. Afterall, He sent his son to die for you even while you were yet a sinner. His love knows no limits and His blood cleanses from all sin. With God on your side what can stand against you?
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