John 15:10-13 NLT
When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
The commands of God were broken down by Jesus to two major components:
1. Love God
2. Love others
Mark 12:30-31 NLT
And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”
We like to complicate things. We like to put conditions on when and if we will follow these commands mostly by how people treat us or from how favorable our circumstances are.
When we are getting along with others, and our circumstances are going our way, we tend to be more “spiritual”; we seem to be more supportive of others and willing to get along.
But when things get rough, when people are not treating us the way we think they should or find ourselves in a financial bind, sometimes we start to lash out, want the people around us to change, and want the financial problem to go away.
The problem with this is that this is where God wants us to live out our faith. This is a trial. This is a test.
It’s easy to live out God’s commands when everything is going well, but it becomes more challenging when we find ourselves in a mess.
James 1:2-4 NLT
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
The best time to prepare for this is when everything is going well.
We need to build our faith up during the good times, and we need to put together our support team before we need the support.
When the trials come, and we have not done this, we will reach out to anyone. It leaves us open to reaching out to the wrong person, and we could find ourselves devastated.
John 15:4 NLT
Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.
Jesus says, “Remain in me and I will remain in you.”
Remaining in Jesus is being in His Word. Preparing our hearts for times of struggle. This needs to be a consistent action on our part. And the most effective time to do this is BEFORE the struggle comes.
John 15:11 NLT
I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT
Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
God deals in absolutes, there is no gray area with God.
“ALWAYS be joyful.”
“NEVER stop praying.”
“Be thankful in ALL circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
These are commands from God, and when we demand this of ourselves, there will be fruits in our lives.
Galatians 5:22-23 NLT
But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!
Love is the fruit.
1 Corinthians 13:13 NLT
Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
And what is the best form of love?
John 15:13 NLT
There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
Heavenly Father, I come before You today with a humble and submitted heart. I pray that You give me the desire to get to know You, love You, and follow Your commands.
Make my heart compassionate to those around me, give me the courage, strength, and willingness to lay my life down for those around me.
I am grateful for the blessings that You have bestowed on me; let me take these gifts and give liberally to the people around me unconditionally.
In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray, Amen!! 🙏❤️
