The Truth You Need to Live and Love Jesus
We learn that Jesus loves us as children, but what does it mean to live and love Jesus?
If you went to church as a child, you learned the song – Jesus Loves Me…
Jesus loves me, this I know
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong
They are weak, but He is strong.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
Yes, Jesus loves me.
The Bible tells me so.
~ Anna Bartlett Warner
You sang it in your head, didn’t you?
Jesus’ love is the Good News Gospel message, but the Bible also tells us the importance of our loving response to Him…
Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’“
What is heart, soul, mind, and strength love?
It’s Good Friday, the day Jesus sacrificed His life to show us how very much He loves us. How are we to make love for Him evident in our lives?
Jesus told us in today’s reading from John…
If you love me, obey my commandments.
John 14:15, 21
Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”
I want to obey Jesus because I love Him. But like Paul, I must admit, “I want to do what is good, but I don’t. I don’t want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway.”
If you’re like Paul and me, you love the Lord, but you don’t consistently obey His commands as He desires. You don’t even obey Him as you desire.
On our own, we can’t and won’t obey perfectly and persistently; that’s why the verses between John 15 and 21 are a blessed word of encouragement from our Savior.
I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive Him, because it isn’t looking for Him and doesn’t recognize Him. But you know Him because He lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.
John 14:16-20
By God’s grace, we have the Spirit with and within us to:
- Teach us to know and remember God’s truth.
- Guide us to discern and follow God’s will.
- Comfort and encourage us with God’s promises.
- Convict us to repentance when we sin.
- Inspire us to SEEK the Lord and give Him first place in our lives.
- Empower us to use God’s blessings for His glory.
Jesus did not abandon His followers when He ascended to the Father. He left them and us the Holy Spirit, giving us everything we need to SEEK, KNOW, LOVE, TRUST, and OBEY Him. When we fail, He works within us, prompting us to run to the Lord in repentance and receive His gracious forgiveness. The Spirit helps us live and love Jesus.
Giving us another song of praise…
There is a Name I love to hear,
I love to sing its worth;
It sounds like music in my ear,
The sweetest Name on earth.
Oh, how I love Jesus.
Oh, how I love Jesus.
Oh, how I love Jesus.
Because He first loved me.
~ Frederick Whitfield
Let’s pray…
A Prayer to Live and Love Jesus
With the Spirit’s Help
Father God, thank you for the countless ways You have taught and shown us Your love. Thank you most of all for Jesus, who gave His all to make our forgiven forever future with You possible.
I’m sorry, Lord. I need Your forgiveness. I want to show my love for You by obeying You perfectly, but I fail daily. I think, say, and do things I shouldn’t and fail to live as You command.
Lord, You said that obeying Your commands demonstrates our love for You, and summed up obeying Your commands with one word – LOVE. But I don’t love unselfishly as You command. I need help.
I need Your Spirit to lead me with Your truth. I need Him to be my Advocate. I need Him with and within me. When I can’t, He gives me strength. When I am discouraged, He gives me hope. He prompts me to run to You with every burden and assures me of Your gracious love and forgiveness.
Father, please help me live and love Jesus in obedience to bring glory to Your holy name. I love You. Please help me show how much with every part of my life. Amen.
With God’s Spirit within us, love becomes more than a feeling. By God’s grace, love becomes a character trait showing itself in everything we think, do, and say.
If you and I want to live and love Jesus, we need to surrender our hearts and minds to Him, trusting His grace, mercy, and love.
May our gracious Lord bless you and help you KNOW, LOVE, TRUST, and OBEY Him completely. May He fill you with joy as you celebrate His Resurrection Day this weekend.
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May your Easter be blessed, Deb!