Where Does Love Come From?Sample

For those who have chosen to accept Jesus's great invitation, making Him Savior and Lord of their lives, Jesus' simple instruction is to "Love God" and "Love your neighbor as yourself." All of the Old Testament law can be summed up in these two commands. (See Matthew 22:34-40)

But in our own strength, these commands from Jesus are impossible to live out. Thankfully, Jesus has not left us alone. He promised those who know Him a Helper and Advocate. Jesus's words from John 16:7 reassure us that "it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you."

The Holy Spirit will help us keep Jesus's commandments. We are not orphans acting on our own strength. Keeping His word and commandments is the natural outpouring of a love relationship with Jesus. If we focus on being with Jesus and allow our love for Him to grow, we will naturally become like Him. It is all about what we fix our eyes on. If we fix our eyes on trying harder to keep His commandments, our yoke will feel hard, and our burden will feel heavy. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, we will naturally, by the power of the Holy Spirit, do what He did.

In order to experience this kind of transformation, we must stay connected to our power source. Or, as Jesus put it, "Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing." (John‬ ‭15‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭NRSV‬‬)

Today, as you reflect on your life, are your eyes fixed on Jesus, or has your gaze drifted, causing you to be distracted by the cares of this world? Is it possible that you have become unplugged from your power source - the Holy Spirit - leaving you exhausted and anxious? If so, what would it look like for you to allow Jesus to arrange your life in a way that the Holy Spirit could transform you from the inside out, enabling you to love God and your neighbor more fully?

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