This is how you love them on purpose

Good morning everyone,

Our theme for this month: “What the world needs now”

Our Bible verse for today: “I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.” John 15:5 (CSB)

Our thought for today: “This is how you love them on purpose”

In John chapters thirteen and fourteen we are reading about Jesus and His disciples in the upper room having the Last Supper. While the supper is proceeding, in addition to eating, Jesus is engaged in a long teaching session. It was during this time that He washed the feet of His disciples, and He did it as an example to them that they should serves others as He has served them. This was also when He first told them, in John 13:34-35, that He was giving them a new command – to love others as He loves them.

Chapter fourteen ends with Jesus saying “Get up; let’s leave this place.” At that point they left the upper room and began a long walk towards the Garden of Gethsemane. I believe the route would have taken them past some vineyards on the outskirts of the city. While they were walking under the moonlight, Jesus points to the vines in the vineyard and used them as the illustration in the parable we just read in John 15:5. Just as the branch grows from the vine, and just as the life of the vine flows through the branch producing the fruit of the vine, so too we are branches on Jesus’ vine. His life flows in us and through us, and He produces His fruit through us.

What is the fruit Jesus was referring to and which He wants to produce through our lives? Paul described it for us in Galatians 5:22-23, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” Those are attributes of Jesus that He wants the world to experience, and the first of them is love. Now that He is in heaven at the right hand of the Father, the way He shows the world His love is by means of His life flowing in us and through us producing His fruit – the first of which is love.

How do you love others on purpose even if you don’t feel love for them? You let Jesus do it through you. You surrender the situation to Him and you ask Him to love them through you. You pray, “Jesus, I feel no love for this person. But I know this is a person you died for and I know that you love them. Therefore, I offer myself to you as your instrument of ministry into their life. Go ahead and love this person through me.” And then just do whatever you believe He is telling you to do. It will be Jesus loving that person through you.

By-the-way, it was after He taught this parable that He repeated the new command He had given in John 13:34-35. We find that second occurrence in John 15:12, “This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.”

So, in John 13:34-35 He told us to do it. In John 15:5 He told us how to do it. And then in John 15:12 He told us again to just go do it. That’s how you love them on purpose.

God bless,
Pastor Jim

(If you like what you are reading in these daily devotionals, and if you would like more content from Oak Hill Baptist Church, join us on Sundays at 10:00, in-person if you are nearby or, if you are geographically distant or if you just can’t make it, online at www.YouTube.com/@oakhillbaptistcrossville

Share this:

Related

Leave a comment Cancel reply