Know God, Know Love. No God, No Love!

"I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father's commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one's life for one's friends." - John 15: 9-13

To remain in God's love is to STAY in His love, CONTINUE in His love without changing, BE LEFT in His love after everything else has gone, WORK in His love as more is required to be done, and ENDURE in His love by continuing on in spite of everything else. Jesus doesn't want us to just receive His love, but REMAIN in it. We know what love is because we know God. We love because He first loved us. Jesus wants us to love one another the way He loves us, for He loved us enough to give His life for us. We may not have to die for someone, but there are other ways to practice sacrificial love for others. Since we know God, we know His love. Without God, there is not love.

Sometimes, its not easy to love others the way God loves us. But knowing this reminds me that despite of the situation, I must love others anyways. There may be people who hurt me but I need to love them because I know I've hurt God sometimes and He still loves me. I'm not perfect, but God still loves me, just like others are not perfect, so I should still love them too. It's easy to love those who are nice and love you too, but what about those who are not so easy to love? Does that mean we give up and don't try to love them? I think God is challenging all of us daily to truly love on others, especially those who are hard to love. Our act of love and kindness could be their first witness of God and His love. Just like Jesus, we can show love in many different ways: listening, helping, encouraging, giving, etc. We tell people I love them, but do our actions really show it? I think Gods challenge for us this week is to think of someone in particular who needs love and really give all the love we can, and then try to give a little more. If everyday we showed someone God's love, then what joy His promises will be for our lives and that person's life as well, for Jesus said, "you will be filled with joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!"

Lord, thank you for you love, for there is no greater love than yours. Thank you for loving us no matter what. Thank you for being the example of what love is. Lord challenge me to love better and love others the way you love me. Teach me to see others the way you see them. Holy Spirit use me so that I may show others what God's love is like. Lord I pray that my love for you grows each and every day that I remain in you. Lead me to love those who are in my life, especially the ones I find hard to love sometimes. Forgive me of my sins and lack of love for those who needed it. And just like in the song Hosanna, "Heal my heart and make it clean, open up my eyes to the things unseen. Show me how to love like you have loved me. Break my heart from what breaks yours..." I love you Jesus.

~AMEN~