“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love” (John 15:9). “To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins…” (Rev. 1:5).
Lord Jesus, help us drink in the wonder and implications of these three verbs: Loved… Loves… Freed… Especially since we are the ones being addressed. How is it possible that you love us just as much as the Father loves you—to the same degree, with the same delight, for the same eternity?
And to believe we have already been freed from sin’s penalty, sin’s dominion, and ultimately from sin’s presence… if we actually believed you—if we actually took these declarations to heart, it would impact everything about us.
People’s opinions about us would have less alluring, defining, and shaming power. Satan’s condemning voice and wooing seductions would roll off of us more quickly—like rain off a triple Gore-Tex-treated poncho. Our own graceless self-talk would get sabotaged at the intersection of Gospel Riches and Self Pity.
Jesus, no wonder you command us to “abide” in your love—to make your love our permanent address, the air we breathe, the bread we consume, the sheets between we sleep. What a fabulous address… “777 Jesus’ Steadfast Love”—the grace-haven where we can play, pray, process heartache, prostrate ourselves in adoring love, and pursue deeper fellowship with you.
Or… we can easily—too easily, choose to reside “rent-free” in our fears, resentment, regrets, foolishness, comparisons, unbelief, anger, envy, anxieties, etc. The rent may be free, but the eventual cost is heart-cancer and death to faith, hope, and love. Jesus, we choose to abide in your love. So VERY Amen.
