Day 15

 “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”

—JOHN 14:21

Does that statement of Jesus mean if you do not love God, He will not love you? That would be a kind of playground love. If you are my friend, I’ll be your friend. If you are not my friend, I am not going to be your friend. God does not operate on those terms.

When Jesus says, “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him,” He means that, “...when you love me, you’ll enjoy the reciprocation of a relationship whereby you will experience and enjoy being loved by the Father.” The love is not one way, being a case of ‘we loving God’, nor simply knowing, ‘God loves me’, but that our active love for Him in response to His love for us, will deepen and expand the experience of living in the consciousness of His love. This is essential for Christian living, for it is, in the first instance, a love relationship, not a business relationship.

Jesus then went on to say a little later in verse 23, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home in him.” Love for Him and obedience to Him go together, and this leads to Him making Himself at home in us. He is already indwelling us if we are born again by His Spirit, but that does not necessarily mean He is ‘at home’ in us.

He is at home in our hearts when we receive His love and live in the consciousness of it, and love Him back. This is the heart of our relationship with Him, and out of that we work together in unity with Him. This is why He says, “he who loves me will obey me’, for obedience to Him is the natural expression of a love relationship with Him.

The Bible story is a courtship leading to a marriage which takes place in the last book of the bible. Christ is the bridegroom, the church is His bride. He is the lover, we are the beloved.

PRAYER: Dear Precious Lord, Thank You for that wonderful promise of making your home in me and experiencing the reality of it. You are my life, and I treasure every day living with You as my Lord and my Saviour.

TO REFLECT UPON: In what ways have I felt the presence of Christ at home in my heart?