Stay Close

Read

John 15:9-10 “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

Think

Think about the warmest, safest spot you know. Maybe it is snuggled under a blanket on a cold morning. Maybe it is sitting close to someone who loves you. There is something about staying in that spot that just makes you feel okay, like nothing can get you there.

All week Jesus has been telling us to remain, to stay connected to the vine. Today he tells us the very best place to stay. “Now remain in my love,” he says. Staying connected to Jesus is not like clinging to a cold machine. It is staying wrapped up in love.

And listen to how much love it is. Jesus says he loves us the same way the Father loves him. That is the biggest, strongest, most perfect love there is. That is the love he wraps around you. He is basically saying, “Stay right here, in the safest, warmest love in the whole universe.”

Then Jesus tells us how we stay in that love. He says if we keep his commands, we remain in his love. Now, that does not mean we have to earn his love by being perfect. It means love and following go together. When you love someone, you listen to them. Staying close and obeying are part of the same thing.

Here is the bridge. Following God’s ways is not a list of rules to make you miserable. It is how you stay snuggled up in his love, in the safest spot there is. Every time you choose his way, you are staying close to the One who loves you most.

So when obeying God feels hard, remember what it really is. It is not God being bossy. It is God saying, “Stay close to me, where my love can keep you safe.” That is a spot worth staying in.

Apply

Stay in the love – The next time you have to choose between doing things your way or God’s way today, picture staying wrapped in his love. Choose his way, and stay close to him.

Pray

Jesus, thank you for loving me the same way the Father loves you. Help me remain in your love by following your ways. I want to stay in the safest, warmest spot there is, close to you. In Jesus’ name. Amen.