Jesus Revealed Pt. 14 - Why Do They Hate Me?Sample

Abiding in the Joy of Jesus  

Thoughts on the Passage

Keeping the commandments of Jesus releases joy – joy that fills and overflows.

What is this commandment? Loving one another.
Let’s take that commandment seriously today. It is easy to criticize one another for failures and weaknesses – we all have them, and we all struggle with one or another of them. Practicing loving people in spite of their weaknesses and failures releases the blessings of joy and fruitfulness. 

Jesus talks about the difference between servants and friends. 

Servants do what they are told. They are good at that, and they are diligent in that level of obedience. They may not understand the reasons behind the tasks that they are given, but they are careful to obey. They may not like what they do, but they are careful to obey anyway. 

Friends know the heart of the master – and they see the reasons why the commands are given. They recognize the heart of the master is for the good of the person – and they honor and appreciate the master for this.

When we act as a servant, we may not understand or like the commands of Jesus, but we obey them. That leads to being frustrated in our walk with Jesus. When we know His heart and see His love for us, then the commands that He gives make sense and following them becomes much easier. So take time to know His heart – it is worth it.

Also, Jesus gives another special promise to people who know His heart. We are the people who receive what we ask of the Father. It is not obedient servants that receive this promise, it is the friends of the master. We know His heart, we love His heart, and the Father honors our requests.

So love one another today – from the heart.

Application

Two things.

First, practice releasing love on everyone today. Some will deserve it – they have blessed us. Others will not deserve it – they have given us trouble. Release it to all.

Second, find a passage you do not understand. Ask God to give you understanding so that obedience is not just something that we do, it is because we understand and love the one who gave such good commands.

Time to Pray

Father, there are lots of commands in Your Word that I do not understand. I will start today with one that I struggle with – asking for blessing. You teach us how to ask, and I do ask – but I do not understand it like I know You want me to understand it. I can get all legalistic about what to ask for. I can frown on asking for things that seem to bless only me. Somehow, I feel like that servant that is obeying but not really understanding Your heart. I want that to change today. I want to know Your heart to bless and I want to ask for blessings that come right from Your heart – and I then speak right back to Your heart! It will be a great day when I do that. And that is the kind of day I want. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.