John 13:34. A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.
And it’s a bright, sunshiny, lazy-day Saturday in my area, with spring time temps. One suitable for either going out and enjoying the outdoors, or just staying at home and hibernating. Whatever you do though, please be sure to keep Jesus first place in your mind, for He’s the One who makes it all happen for us!
As He so eloquently states it in the Word. ‘Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto (for) you.’ (John 15:4-7)
Ah my people, it could not be put more clearly than that. Jesus is the One around whom all of our faith revolves; our author and finisher. If He is not front and centre in our lives, then we’ll just wither away, and end up like withered branches, burned in the fire of uselessness. But if we keep the faith, live by His words, then all that we ask will be done for us. Now, please note, that that doesn’t mean any and every foolish or worthless thing we ask for, but whatever we ask that’s in God’s will.
Too often many of us take that to mean we can ask for whatever carnal or selfish stuff we need and expect it to be given to us, and when it isn’t, we get angry with God and blaspheme Him for His supposed unfaithfulness. But God is only required to give us what falls under His will, and nothing else. Now, sometimes He will go against that rule and give us the carnal desires of our flesh just to show us the inappropriateness of our desires, so that we will fall back into line with His will.
That ought to show us the wisdom of Bruh Paul’s words in his second letter to the church at Corinth, where he writes: ‘Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.’ (2 Cor. 3:5) And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! God is our Creator and Controller and we don’t do anything without Him allowing it. The problem is He’s given us free will to choose our lifestyle, hoping that we’ll choose Him. But if we don’t, He won’t interfere with our decisions, just allow us to suffer the negative consequences, always hoping that they will turn us back to His wise and wonderful way of thinking and living.
Oh friends, our God is a good God, but He is not an intrusive God, and won’t intrude on our will unless we desire Him to. And since He’s provided a way for us to gain forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life through the death and resurrection of Christ Jesus, then it’s now up to us to come to Him and gain all the wonderful stuff that He’s provided. And Jesus made it ever so plain when He says: ‘As the Father hath LOVED me, so have I LOVED you: continue ye (abide) in my LOVE. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in His LOVE. These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and your joy might be full.’ (John 15:9-11)
Yuh see that mih people…living for Jesus is all about LOVE and obedience! Just like He LOVED the Father and obeyed His commands, so are we Christians expected to LOVE Christ and obey His commands. And what are His commands? Here is the basic, the foundational principle of Christ’s teaching. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:34-35)
There you have it friends, clear and precise, as it always is from Jesus. The basic quality Christians ought to show is LOVE for each other, so that the unbeliever can know that we belong to Christ. But unfortunately down through the years the church has become so divided and fragmented, alienated and spilt up into so many different denominations, cliques and what have you, with so much strife and bad blood between us, that LOVE for each other is something we now possess very little of, and thus we don’t show it in sufficient amounts to make a positive difference in our ungodly world.
How sad my fellow saints, that we’ve disobeyed Christ’s basic commandment. For without true LOVE amongst the brethren, Christ’s Spirit will not work. Just like He could not do much stuff, many miracles, in His hometown of Nazareth, because of their unbelief, (Matt. 13:53-58) likewise He won’t be able to do much in these desperate times if believers don’t get together, put aside their differences, many of which are selfish and petty, and begin LOVING each other for Christ’s sake. End of Sermon!
And no, I have not forgotten our Lazy-Day Saturday prayer, it just seemed more appropriate to have it at the end today. So please pray with me. ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And if we’re sincere, then I know that we will indeed receive what we’ve asked for, because God’s LOVE, peace and presence are all in His will for us. Much LOVE!
…behold…how good and how pleasant it is…for brethren to dwell together in unity… (Ps. 133:1)
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