“Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.” John 15:9.
Today your LORD (יהוה) God (אלהים) says:
There are certain things that follow you into eternal life and certain things that do not. There are certain things that will be richly rewarded and certain things that will gain you nothing. There are certain things that will endure forever and certain things that will not. Time is soon over, why waste your years with things that will not last, or worse yet, will hinder your receiving your full reward? Such it is for those who are focused on this life only and grow rich for themselves but not towards Me. But it is time you woke up and started amassing heavenly treasure. And the good news is you can, and Jesus tells you how. And it is simple. Abide in His love.
But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love. 1 Corinthians 13:13.
Anything done without love means nothing. It has no value. Remember, I do not judge by appearances, but I judge by what is in your heart, the thoughts and motives of your heart.
For the Word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Hebrews 4:12.
How do I judge the heart? Simple: Does it line up with My Word.
And Jesus cried out and said, “He who believes in Me, does not believe in Me but in Him who sent Me. He who sees Me sees the One who sent Me. I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness. If anyone hears My Words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. He who rejects Me and does not receive My Words, has one who judges him; the Word I spoke is what will judge him at the last day. John 12:44-48.
Do your thoughts agree with My Word? I am My Word. So I am saying, “do you think like Me?” Are we like-minded? We should be, you are in My image and according to My likeness.
And who am I? Love. I think in love, talk in love, and walk in love, everything else is foreign to Me and does not enter Me, it cannot. For anything that cannot stand within the light of love, which is the light of life, must flee from the light and cannot enter into My presence.
Heaven is a place of light, there is no darkness or night there. It is lit by My glory and its lamp is the Lamb. Do you see why I am looking to see if your lamp (heart, by which I mean your spirit, your inner self and the real you) is lit when the bridegroom comes for the Church to catch you up in the clouds? Do not be like the foolish ones whose lamps were not lit when He came.
The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being. Proverbs 20:27.
Now, let us return to Jesus’ conversation with His disciples at the Passover Seder meal the night before He gave His life to give you eternal life to go deeper with this.
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. John 15:8-9.
Jesus glorified Me on earth by completing the work I gave Him to do and He did it with love.
I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me; but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. John 14:30-31.
Jesus loved Me and loved you.
Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood and He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father—to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:5-6.
So for the joy that lay before Him of saving you, which was My heart’s desire, He finished the work I gave Him to do exactly as I commanded Him to do it. My Will prospered in His hands.
Then I said, “Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your will, O my God; Your Law is within my heart.” Psalm 40:7-8; Hebrews 10:5-14.
And what was My response?
The Father loves the Son and has given all things into His hand. John 3:35.
And Jesus continued the Last Supper conversation to tell you how to abide in His love, which is just the same way in abided in My love:
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. John 15:10.
But this is not a cause for condemnation but for rejoicing. For My commandments are opportunities for blessing and fruitfulness. They free you from the law of sin and death. And Jesus told you that:
These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. John 15:11.
Jesus was not the first one to find My law delightful, the sweet psalmist of Israel, My servant David, found great delight and reward in keeping them, calling them sweeter than honey dripping from the comb.
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the judgments of the LORD are true; they are righteous altogether. They are more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb. Moreover, by them Your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11.
And Jesus spoke to you about the abiding life with clarity. He focused in on one commandment that encompasses all.
“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12-13.
Love is My nature and the essence of who I am. And Jesus and I are One and Jesus invited you to join as one with us through your joining with Him. Remember the circle, mankind began in Me as one with Me, rejected and left that oneness by sin, sin divided us for sin cannot enter My presence for it is the opposite of love. I then reconciled you back to Me by sending My Son to take your sins on Himself and cleanse you from all sin by His blood, and thus you came back to Me in Him holy and blameless in My sight so you can enter into the light of My presence forever.
But until you understand and appreciate this oneness of reconciliation, you will not allow yourself to abide in My love. You cannot rest there until you are freed from the sin consciousness that will hinder your living in the flow of love. Self-condemnation will make you ill at ease in My presence. It will turn you into a beggar instead of a believer.
Let Me show you in the Words I gave to My prophet Jeremiah when I revealed the New Covenant to him.
They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the LORD, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.” Jeremiah 31:34.
You cannot abide in Me or know Me in a personal way until you know how forgiven you are—totally. You cannot reign in life through Jesus until you have known, understood, and received the gift of righteousness and the abundance of grace, the sharing of My life through being made righteous by Me in Jesus. It is My doing that you are in Christ Jesus who I made wisdom unto you, and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Understand this: because of the finished work of Jesus in bearing all your sins, illness, pains, guilt, and shame and taking the punishment due them, they are no longer your sins, they are gone. You are blameless and beyond reproach because of what I did for you in Jesus. I have forgiven you everything and I remember your sins NO MORE. They are gone as far as I am concerned. Once you know and believe in this you can know and believe in the love that I have for you, and your faith in that unhindered love I have for you will overcome the world so that you can rest assured in My love and never leave that rest.
And it is then you can run your race forward with joy with your eyes on Jesus and every encumbrance and weight of sin GONE.
And that is the abiding life of the branch in the vine, bearing fruit even in old age, planted in My house full of sap (the abundance of grace) and very green (youth renewed).
And that opens the way to one of the greatest benefits of the abiding life:
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. John 15:7.
When doing My Will and keeping My commands becomes your delight and the desire of your heart, as it was for Jesus, you will find that everything you ask for comes to pass. Why? You are asking according to My Will and that is the secret to answered prayer every time and all the time.
Put My Word to work in your heart and your mouth by abiding in My love. I watch over My Word to perform it (healing, blessing, forgiveness, provision, peace, prosperity, deliverance, protection, answers) and Jesus, your vine, is the High Priest of your confession (homologia is the word in the original Greek in which the New Testament was written and homologia means being in complete agreement with My Word in your heart and in your words.). Agree with love and you will have joy, complete overflowing joy, for you were made by Love, with Love, and for Love.
And before we close this Life Lesson, take a look at the word “abide.” The word that is translated there is the Greek word “menó (μένω),” which means to stay, abide, dwell, remain in the sense of a permanent and not a transient abode. It is a permanent dwelling place from which you will not depart or leave, a place where you will continue to be present. When My Son told you He was going to prepare a place for you and would come back to take you with Him that where He was you would be, He described that there were many mansions or permanent abodes in My house, and the word there is “monḗ,” which is derived from ménō, “to remain, abide” meaning an abiding dwelling-place (i.e. not transitory), a mansion. It is the same word Jesus uses when He promises you:
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.” John 14:23.
The abiding life, being attached to the Vine and producing much fruit, all has to do with one qualification: “Are you keeping My Word?” And what is that word: Love.
I love you. One Word from Me can open up your destiny and that one Word is love. For as you follow Me, directed you will be, along the pathway for your life. Abide in Me and I will abide in you.
Make me know Your ways, O LORD; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day. Remember, O LORD, Your compassion and Your lovingkindnesses, for they have been from everlasting. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to Your lovingkindness remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD. Psalm 25:4-7.