Saturday 7 Jul 2012

Saturday Reading: John 15:9-11

Key Verse: John 15:9
9  As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love.

Devotion:
Jesus knew exactly how much God loved Him and He knew how much He loved us, so when He says that we should continue in His love to love others (as is seen in the verses that follow this passage) He knows what He is talking about. Is that not what we all seek? To find someone that actually knows what they are talking about so that we can learn the truth and follow on in that truth?

Showing love toward another is not just about telling them that you love them. It is not just about giving them a hug and meaning it. It is not just about giving them a kiss. It is not just about making sure that you remember things about them or for them. Showing your love toward someone is all of the above and so much more. Loving someone means being able to share everything with them, especially the truth! It also means being willing to give them everything; and if they love you as well then they will be willing to do that same toward you – so it’s not a case of giving up everything but rather being able to share in everything.

Christ came into this world so that He could give His life for our sin debt. That did not mean giving up everything because He knew that death was a small price to pay for being able to share everything with us from that point onward. He was not facing an end or a blind alley but rather a crossroads that would give us direction in our lives. He firmly planted the sign-post at that crossroad so that we would know the right direction to go in; we just have to follow it.

He has proven His love for us by showing us the truth and allowing us to depend on everything that He does. He continues to pour out that love toward us by continuing to give us so much as we continue to give to Him. It’s all about sharing a relationship with Him and not expecting Him to do everything for us. Love is certainly a two way thing and us sitting back and waiting is doing nothing to show our love toward our God! Our love needs to grow and the only way that it will grow is through regular exercise – which means giving and receiving constantly. His love is without question. His love is without limit. His love is without failure. His love is pure and honest.

Points to Ponder:
How do you like to show love?

Do you recognise the love that God is showing you?