Know, Grow, Show. Reflections From John 15Sample
DAY 14 - CAUSE OF LOVE
Verse 12 –‘Love each other as I have loved you.’
This is another qualifying statement showing us how we should love. It’s not loving as much as the other person loves me. It’s not a ‘tit for tat’ love. The word “As “means in the same way. No different.
Jesus knows that we are not capable of this kind of love until we have been filled with love. That is why He asks us to stay close to Him. We cannot give out of nothing. Once we have tanked up on His unconditional, merciful, tender, compassionate, extravagant love of Jesus, then all that will come out of us is his love.
Growing up some of us have only known human love which is imperfect therefore can be conditional, manipulative, mean, selfish, demanding, self-centered. If this is all we have experienced, this is our grid from which we do relationships. This does not mean our parents are bad people or all people around us are wicked. We live on an orphaned planet where people do not know God’s love till they encounter the Cross and accept Jesus.
Love motivated the Father to send Jesus to the earth and die a horrible death to save us from eternal damnation by taking the judgment of all our sins upon His body on the cross. His Love for us kept him there.
Jesus did two things – In John 13, to show the full extent of his love, he served the disciples by washing their feet. Then the final culmination of His love was His dying in our place.
Jesus said the world would know that we are his disciples if we love one another. This is very important.
When we know and experience the love of God, we are able to truly love one another. We can only give pure love when we have received pure love.
REFLECT AND ASK YOURSELF | How did you experience love growing up?
Thank Jesus for His love today. Pick verses from the Bible that speak about the love of God and speak that over yourself.
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About this Plan
Recently God has been bringing me back to John 15. It has become a lamp to my feet and a light to my path in the season that unfolded. Reflect with me on some of the main themes of this passage; knowing, growing and loving. This 18 day plan is written by Navaz D'Cruz.
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We would like to thank Word Of Grace Church for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: http://somequietthoughts.blogspot.com/