This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. John 15:12 KJV
There are a few things that need to be settled before I can fully understand the contents of today's extract. The first is the matter of identity. Who am I? Do I know who I am, what I am, who I work for and represent and why I have been placed wherever it is I have been planted? The people who Jesus was speaking to here were his disciples, people who had followed him everywhere for more than 3 years. These men had seen miracles, and even performed some when they were sent out two by two to preach the gospel of Christ. If I will be all that Christ has formed, gifted and planted me to be, I must sort out the issue of my identity. I cannot be content to just be part of the crowd; I must commit my life to a daily walk with God both as a child and a disciple.
Now, this is the sobering thought: as much as they were used by Christ, there was a Judas Iscariot among them. He saw and also performed miracles, yet there was an unsubmitted part of his life that put him in trouble eventually. For all who will follow Christ, I cannot come to him on my own terms, seeking only that which makes me comfortable. Following Jesus will cost me some things; it may be that some friends no longer feel comfortable around me, or some habits would have to go. Whatever it may be for me, it is personal. It is not the business of anyone else, but it is between God and I. If God is fine with me, it really does not matter what the world thinks of me. If God is not fine with me, it still does not matter what the world says.
The above lays the foundation for today's extract. How do I take the word of anyone as a command if I have not submitted to or recognised his authority? I will only be free to move about and take advantage of all the benefits of a country whose laws I respect and where I have valid reasons to be in. In the same way, the commands of Jesus will make no sense to someone who has not surrendered control to Jesus. There are a lot of pretenders who know all the images of what a Christian should be but who will not pay the price. Which one am I: one who has totally surrendered to God, or one still struggling with identity, unsure of who God is and not willing to pay the price to find out? Does God even know me as his own, or am I one who claims to be what he is not?
If I recognise his authority, I will recognise his words as commands. Sometimes, we think God's words are basic suggestions which we can choose to accept or reject as and when we please. No, when God created the world, he did not seek the opinion or permission of anyone; he simply commanded and His authority and power brought all he commanded to form. That authority is still very much in place; all who are His own recognise and submit to it. Whatever he asks me to do is a command and I do not get to choose if or when to obey. In this instance, the command is to love. He won't command something he has not first done, and he won't command without leaving us a valid example to emulate.
What other way can love be defined other than the way the One who commanded it defined it? He is the One who gave his own life to redeem the world from sin, even when those he died for spat in his face. Even when we sinned, his love would not destroy us without several warnings. His love gave us the power of choice. He could have made robots who had no mind of their own, but he wanted us to choose him of our freewill.
I don't know of any other lord or master who gives his subjects such power. However, it must be noted that with great power comes great responsibility. He gives me power to choose, but he also makes clear what the consequence of the wrong choice is.
His life is the only example worth emulating. His love is the only version that is true for all time. As I embrace this love, I get it in all its fullness, and I can share it with others too in all its fullness. I can't love like him until I have experienced his love. When I have personally experienced it, then I can show it. I can't fake it; you only get to give out of what you have first received. He will not command me to show what I don't have, but once I have received him, I have his love and I am commanded to show it. It is easy when I have it. I can't hide it when I have it. People will know when I have it, as my life's choices will always reflect who is in charge of my life. Can I say, of a truth, that I have accepted the love of Christ? Remember, eternity lies at the end of the choice to accept or reject the love of Christ. I must make sure I am headed in the right direction. God's time of favour is here.
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