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Love Again


Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God (I John 5:1-5)

“If you love me, keep my commands.  And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—  the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.  Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:15-20)

          I have heard that the best way to befriend a parent is to respond positively to his/her child, and the best way to make an enemy for life is to say something bad about that same child. I don’t think you even have to pick on children. They may even know that the sunshine of their lives is a cloud in everyone else’s sky, but that won’t save you. Slam someone’s preferred political candidate and see what happens. For some, if you badmouth their favorite sport or team and you’re in trouble. It should not be a surprise, then, that God the Father would not respond favorably to someone mistreating His Son. 
          The test of our love for God and for our brothers: obedience to God’s commands. I think I’ve mentioned before reading a book once in which the main character ended up being killed, having accomplished none of his goals. He went to heaven and was pronounced a hero because he had obeyed Jesus’ teachings. We don’t tend to think of victory in those terms. At least, I don’t. I wonder what it would be like to go through each day not fretting about whether or not I accomplish everything, but  whether or not I obeyed, whether or not I believed (meaning that I acted on what I believe)




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