John 15:1-17
The LOVE Vine and the LOVE Branches
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
9 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 10 If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. 11 I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. 12 My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. 13 Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14 You are my friends if you do what I command. 15 I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. 16 You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. 17 This is my command: Love each other.
I want to continue writing about God and His LOVE, because His LOVE is so special to everyone...That is why I used to wonder why Jesus commanded us to be perfect as God is Perfect in the Sermon on the Mount, when talking about and loving our enemies...He knows I find that extremely difficult if not impossible to do...When Jesus commands us to love our enemies, He is moving us from a morality of "fairness" to a morality of "perfection."...We ought to love everyone on earth...So we can see that Jesus is taking us to the ultimate "Ought to "—a standard that exists because it flows directly from the nature of a Perfect Moral Father...In our natural state and the way we feel and what we believe, we are inclined to love those who love us and those who like us and who have the same interests as us, a behavior Jesus points out is common even among "tax collectors and pagans."...This type of love is merely a transaction, a social contract that requires no change of heart...However, the Moral Law of Christ demands something much higher: a love that is proactive, unconditional, and directed toward those who may never return it...By doing this, we move beyond the "facts" of human conflict and enter into the "Truth" of Divine Relationship...This helps us better see God's Type of LOVE...
We read in the quiet moments of the Gospel of John, we find a description of love that is far deeper than a mere emotion; it is a location where we are invited to live. Jesus tells us that "As the Father has LOVED Me, so have I LOVED you...Now remain in My LOVE"...This invitation suggests that God’s LOVE is the environment we were designed to breathe in...It is not something we visit on occasion when we feel "good enough," but a permanent dwelling place that the Father has prepared for us...When we look at the life of Jesus, we see the perfect reflection of this LOVE—a LOVE that is secure, constant, and entirely focused on the well-being of the beloved...A LOVE that never changes...
The miracle of the Gospel is that God’s LOVE does not wait for us to improve before it reaches out...In fact, the Scripture tells us that love is defined by God’s initiative: "This is love: not that we loved God, but that He LOVED us and sent His Son."...This foundational truth shifts our entire perspective...We often spend our lives trying to earn affection or prove our worth, but the Father’s LOVE is a gift that is already fully given...It is a proactive grace that seeks us out in our wanderings and offers us a seat at His table...This LOVE is the "True North" for our souls, providing a sense of identity that the world cannot give and certainly cannot take away...
To abide in this LOVE means to let go of the "orphan spirit" that many of us carry—the feeling that we are alone or must provide for our own spiritual needs...Instead, we are invited to become "children of the Light," resting in the knowledge that the Gardener is watching over every detail of our growth...When we truly settle into the Father's heart, our motivations change...We no longer follow His commands out of a fearful sense of duty, but out of a joyful response to being cherished...His LOVE becomes the sap that flows through our lives, naturally producing the fruit of kindness, patience, and peace because we are connected to the Source of all goodness...
Living in God's LOVE also changes how we see the people around us...When we are full of the Father’s Affection, we no longer need to "use" others to validate our existence...We can love them freely, even when they are difficult, because our own "love tank" is being constantly refilled by the Divine...This is the "new commandment" that Jesus gave: to love one another as He has LOVED us...It is a sacrificial, outward-moving love that seeks the best for others without expecting anything in return...By living this way, we become windows through which the world can catch a glimpse of the Father’s invisible, yet overwhelming, devotion to His creation...
Ultimately, the goal of the Christian life is to be so hidden in the LOVE of God that His joy becomes our joy...Jesus said He spoke these things so that "My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete."...This completeness isn't found in perfect circumstances or the absence of pain, but in the unwavering presence of the One who calls us His Own...As we walk through our daily lives, let us remember that we are walking within the shadow of His wings, held by a LOVE that is stronger than death and more constant than the rising sun...We are LOVED, we are chosen, and we are finally home...Finding God's LOVE and knowing Jesus LOVES us completes us...