John 15:8-25

N John15:18-25,after teaching His disciples about how abiding n His Love would change their hearts/their minds/their lives,Jesus then warns them of how these changes in their lives and the ways they would then live,& love each other would b so foreign to the World(so contrary to the World)that His disciples would actually b hated by the World.That the way they lived&loved while abiding in Jesus’ Love would be such a reflection of the Mercy;Grace;& Holiness/Glory of God,that the World would become convicted & then angry when they see the disciples way living/loving compared to the Worlds ways of living&loving.It is not that the disciples would b condescending to,nor “preaching at” those around them with legalistic/Pharisee-like accusations and/or “religious talk”,BUT that the way the disciples lived and loved(because of their abiding n the Love of Christ)would b such a clear reflection of God’s Glory/Grace/Mercy/Righteousness/Holiness...that their lives would humbly/contritely be such a bright reflection of these characteristics of God that the Darkness&Sin of the World would b painfully exposed.When this PAIN of the World is exposed,the World will tend to react like a wounded family pet that would even bite or attack it’s loving master/owner when painfully wounded.Their is not much as unpredictable as a wounded animal/pet!The same with the World when exposure to the Mercy;Grace;Righteousness;Holiness;Glory of God reveals the darkness&pain of sin.This abiding way of living n the first century body of believers is what shook the world with a movement that saw much of the World open their hearts for the Saving Grace&Mercy of Christ to heal many of their lives from the Darkness&Pain of sin.This was such an impact to the World that our calendar was forever changed...changed by the Life of Christ&Love of Christ abiding n the followers of Christ/the disciples of Christ!Dear Lord,when I survey the small bit of the World around me,that Your Mercy;Grace;& Holiness/Glory could be having an impact on if I would just abide in The Love You have given me through the Your Mercy&Grace;through Your Word;through Your Spirit...I realize that my life falls so very short of truly abiding n Your Love for me.Lord Jesus,may Your Spirit make me draw my life to be abiding n Your Love for me more and more every day.

John 15:16

After Jesus talks about how our love for Him is expressed,Jesus gives us our first commandment/assignment before He is taken away to b crucified.Jesus gives us our primary “assignment”/“appointment”,to b empowered through our love for Jesus and our obedience to His Word!That assignment/appointment is to bear fruit.Jesus says n John15:16a,”You did not choose me,but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit”.Jesus says we have a purpose/a reason for living..., given to us by Almighty God,Our Father n Heaven->to bear much fruit.This means that our perspective for everything we do and think needs to have the ultimate question assigned to it of “what fruit is it that is growing out of my life”?And then,Jesus says that we should care about what happens to the fruit that grows out of our life when he says n Jn15:16b,”and that your fruit should abide,so that whatever you ask the Father n my name,he may give it to you”.A quick read of this verse has led many to say,”I have asked,& God hasn’t said a thing nor given me what I asked”!This is often n my heart!I have a problem that I have taken the last piece of what Jesus says and apply it totally out of context of his message n the whole verse!If we take to heart the entire APPOINTMENT that Jesus has called us to,it should turn our focus away from the mundane aspirations  for life and onto the Eternal Purposes for this life we have been GIFTED with!Jesus is calling us to b Eternally Minded!To have our hearts & minds changed from a shortsighted mundane purpose/vision,to a vision that REACHES for the ETERNAL purpose/vision for life.He says the our appointment is to bear fruit as we ABIDE n the love of Christ,& that the fruit we bear also ABIDE n the love of Christ.This ABIDING n us and in the fruit of our lives,means that our focus needs to b on how our lives r “appointed” by Jesus to have Eternal significance n  our life,AND the lives of those around us.When this happens,our prayers/our desires r changed from those that r rooted in our comforts&pleasures....changed to become those that r more and more focused on things that carry Eternal Significance in our life,& the lives of those around us!Once this happens n our life,our heart&life become aligned with Jesus’ Heart...we begin to ABIDE n HIS Love!And then we begin to see the Strength & Power of Christ n and around our lives,as we have the eyes/heart/mind to appreciate the Eternal Aspects of all things around us.This is our lives being firmly grafted into Jesus,the only True Vine that Jesus talks about n John15:1-5!Dear Lord,these verses open my eyes to how much of my life has totally missed the Blessings of what YOU have APPOINTED me for(created me for/given me life for).My focus has been on the mundane,& my life “fogged in” by things that don’t really matter when compared to the Eternal Significance of life.Thank You for Your great Mercy and Grace that can not only change me,but also give me hope when I turn my life over to ABIDING n YOUR LOVE!

John 15:12-13

After Jesus talks about Trusting and Obeying/Following Him,the very next thing He says is,”My command is this,love each other as I have loved you.Greater love has no man than to lay down his life for his friends”(John15:12-13).The very first thing Jesus tells His disciples after telling them how to love Him is that they should love each other as He has loved on them over the last 3 years...w God’s Wisdom;God’s Discernment;God’s Patience&Perseverance;God’s Sacrificial Love,&through The Power of God’s Spirit.We cannot follow through on this command of Jesus unless we continue to learn more about the way He Loves&How He loves through studying God’s Word,Praying about THESE things,& having others n our lives that are encouraging us along with THESE things.To LOVE like Jesus LOVES is impossible if left to our own devices.We may start off well now and then,but our love will always become tainted or derailed by something selfish,unwise,or undiscerning....something that can only b corrected/fixed by The Heart/Love of Jesus;The Wisdom&Discernment of our Father God;and the Power of The Holy Spirit.To sincerely follow through with the first command Jesus gives us after telling us how to show our love for Him(Trust&Obey/Follow Him),we must b going to Him always->seeking Him n His Word,through Prayer,& through the accountability & encouragement & edification of others around us that have the same sincere desire to love Jesus.If not,the way we love will be shaped by the way the world shows love,& not by The Way that Jesus teaches us to LOVE!Dear Lord,I have had so many misconceptions about what it means n my life to Trust & Obey/Follow you!This first command you left Your disciples with I now realize is the primary means by which You will  change my heart to truly b more and more like Your Heart!Help me grow more aware of this every day,& to have my heart and the way I love become more and more like the way that You love me!

John 15

Life is going to b challenged by things coming at us from all directions!And if we have put a stake n the ground claiming to b seekers&followers of Christ,many of those challenges will b aimed at shaking our stake n the ground loose...loose enough that the stake of our life may ripped away & planted far from where our heart had previously desired when we “felt like” seeking&following Christ.Jesus talks about this n John15:1-11,when he equates our lives to branches that have been cut from a vine they once received nutrients from,& grafted to The Vine that is the source of everlasting nutrients/life,The Vine that yields everlasting joy!The first vine will eventually whither and die.The other vine,The Vine,will never whither...& it will never die!The first vine desires us to b nothing more than what the world can provide,since the world is where this vine gets its nutrients.The other vine/THE VINE is Jesus!Jesus desires us to become much different from the world...much MORE than the world can offer!And since He is God,He is Eternal & He has ALL THE POWER/WISDOM/MERCY/GRACE&LOVE(all the “nutrients”)we need to become something unique from what the world could ever offer,& live forever in The Vine!As the challenges come that threaten to rip us from The Vine/from our grafting into The Vine,Jesus says that we must ABIDE in Him...we must b deliberate n our ABIDING!Jesus says,”I am The Vine,u r the branches.Whoever abides n me & I n him,he is it that bears much fruit,for apart from me u can do nothing”Jn15:5).N other words,we must hang on to/DWELL IN(abide n) The Vine and HIS NUTRIENTS!Then Jesus tells how this abiding is accomplished n our life->”If you abide n me,& my words abide n you..”(Jn15:7a),&”If u keep my commitments(wisdom/discernment/guidance/instruction,etc.),u will abide n my love(Jn15:10a).And THIS ABIDING will change our thoughts & our desires from those that will whither and die,n2 those that will thrive & live forever->what we wish for changes 2 b what God only knows r the best wishes(Jn15:7b,”ask 4 whatever u wish(only the eternally best wishes will become what our hearts yearn for-The BEST FRUIT that never rots & never loses its vibrant taste) & it will b done for u”.)Jesus promises that if we hang on to/abide n His Word(seek to know & follow what He counsels through the Bible and through His Spirit),we will have His joy/the ONLY JOY that can truly satisfy/make us full(Jn15:11,”These things I have spoken 2 u,that my joy may b n u,& that ur joy may b full”.).Dear Lord,I praise YOU for grafting my life n2 YOUR PROMISES,and YOUR JOY that never fades & never dies!I also pray for YOUR HELP to abide n YOU as the challenges of this day and all days try to tear me away from YOU.

John 14:11

When my dad was alive,one of the things I looked forward to the most when I saw him was getting a hug from him.When he hugged you,you knew you had been hugged!He wrapped his two arms around you, then gave you a really good hug!You knew he was communicating that he loved you...he meant it!And,there was nothing sissy about my dad!When I was a kid I knew that my dad was the bravest,most courageous man n the world...the most masculine of men I knew.I never saw him throw himself n front of a speeding train or a bullet...,doing  anything that made me think this!But the way he exuded courage n the way he lived,and the way he loved,made it obvious to me!It wasn’t until years after he died that I learned that my dad was actually a real life courageous hero!Twenty years after my dad died I learned that by the time he was 21 he had received 3 Bronze Stars for acts of courage,& 5 Purple Hearts for battle wounds(1 wound was so serious that he was told he was going home!When he heard this,he escaped the field hospital and made his way back to his unit!As a medic,he could not let himself go home while his friends were n the fight)and many other commendations for his combat actions during WWII.All that to say that I learned what real hugging means;what only a real hug can convey->the love and commitment it can convey!Dad gave me an appreciation for a sincere TWO ARMED HUG!N Jn14 Jesus gives us a picture of what it looks for us to truly love Him!And that nothing less than a TWO ARMED HUG will convey that sincere love!The first arm is that of TRUSTING Christ!N Jn14:11 Jesus says,”Believe n me when I say that I am n the Father and the Father is n me,or else believe on account of the works(of Christ) themselves”. Jesus is describing the first ARM of hugging/loving Him!That is trusting as TRUTH what He says as revealed through the Bible and the recorded miraculous signs&wonders Christ performed...!The next ARM of hugging/loving Jesus is n Jn14:15,where Jesus says,”If you love me,you will obey what I command.”If we truly TRUST that Jesus is God as The Bible says,then we will know that HE is the ONLY ONE that knows enough to know what’s best for me!That being TRUTH,whatever HE shows me/instructs me to do is for my best...because HE first loved me!If I truly TRUST Him,then it follows that I will OBEY/FOLLOW Him!And there Jesus shows us how we love Him...,how we show Him our love with a TWO ARMED HUG!We TRUST Him,& OBEY/FOLLOW Him!There is no other way,but to TRUST and OBEY!Like the song says,

“Trust and obey
For there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus
But to trust and obey”

Dear Lord,most of the time...if I am hugging You at all it is with a weak 1 arm hug.And I know that comes far short of loving you fervently.Help me to b aware of the absence of BOTH arms of loving you/hugging you n my life.Help me&guide me to throwing BOTH ARMS of my life n TRUSTING You,& OBEYING/FOLLOWING You...so my life will reflect a love for You that exceeds that my dad would show me via his hugs...the love and commitment that only You should have from my life!