Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 14:1 "Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
Today we are encouraged by the second commandment that Jesus gave to His disciples in preparation for His departure. The first commandment was to love one another as He loved them. The second commandment is to believe in Him as they believe in God. Faith in Jesus as God apparently is the antidote, the necessary condition of heart when facing confusion, disappointment, feelings of abandonment, and loss. If you believe in God as the source of your life then believe in Jesus. Faith in Jesus is foundational to living to love with Jesus. If we believe Jesus is God, then we know He is the source of life. That’s exactly where Jesus is going in this discourse with His disciples. To believe in God, is to believe there is a God who is the source and the sustainer of all of life. I take Jesus to mean this: If you look to God as the source of life, then also look to me as the source of life. Today, let’s look to our Father as the source of everything we need, knowing that He supplies what we need through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 13:38 Jesus answered, "Will you lay down your life for Me? Truly, truly, I say to you, a rooster will not crow until you deny Me three times.
Again, Jesus told what was going to happen before it happened so that Peter would ultimately come to believe in, trust in, rely upon, and follow Him unto death. Jesus responded to Peter’s boast that he would lay down his life for Him. Indeed, Peter would have to die to his own self-appraised grandeur before he could follow Jesus anywhere. Upon the rooster’s crow, Peter’s pride in his own self-significance and importance would lie dead in the Judean dust. He would be perhaps the greatest alright—the greatest failure of the disciples. However, as we know. God used Peter’s failure and subsequent restoration as testimony of His love and an incredible source of encouragement. Will we lay down our lives for Jesus’ namesake? I hope so. Let’s be on the alert for any lurking pride, self-significance, and self-importance that would hinder the flow of the love of Jesus Christ into the world we live in.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 13:36-37 Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, where are You going?" Jesus answered, "Where I go, you cannot follow Me now; but you will follow later. Peter said to Him, "Lord, why can I not follow You right now? I will lay down my life for You."
In Luke’s gospel account of the last supper, he recorded something John left out. Luke 22:22-24 “For indeed, the Son of Man is going
as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing. And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded to be greatest.” It is plausible that the spirit of that discussion has influenced Simon Peter. Deep within the recesses of his soul is the pride of life that thinks he is better than everyone else. With his “I’m great” filter on, he hears Jesus say he’s going someplace others can’t go, and he’s thinking from an earthly perspective. “I’ll follow Him anywhere at any cost.” The disciples had had this discussion only days earlier when they were trying to decide whether they were going to go with Jesus to Jerusalem upon hearing of Lazarus’ death. In John 11:16 we read, “Therefore Thomas, who is called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, so that we may die with Him.” So I conclude Peter and the rest of the disciples had already considered what they might have to go through if they followed Jesus to Bethany and then on to Jerusalem. Maybe Peter decided in his heart earlier that he was able to endure whatever befell them. Perhaps at this moment, Peter wanted to show how he was indeed the greatest of the disciples, so he began to see if this was the opportunity to prove himself.
However, I think Jesus’ response was puzzling to Peter. Basically Jesus told him, “You’re not ready now to follow me where I’m going.” Whether Jesus was thinking of going to the cross or thinking of going to heaven; in both cases, Peter wasn’t ready, but Peter thought he was. Why wasn’t Peter ready for either place? I think it is because Peter thinks he is great without the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, apart from the life of Jesus, Peter could do nothing. Nor can we. Is there any pride of life in us that thinks we can live our lives today without being filled with the Holy Spirit? Can we really lay down our lives for the glory of God if it is not the Spirit of the Son working in us? Without Jesus, we are nothing. With Him, we are ready to go anywhere He goes.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."
Disciples of Jesus are known by their love for one another. Of all the qualities that a man or woman can have, love—the sustained direction of the will toward the highest good of another no matter what the cost—is the beacon light of the presence of the life of Christ. This kind of supernatural love is the evidence that a person knows God and is a follower of Jesus. It seems highly probable that based on this statement, John wrote this to the “little children” who received his first epistle. 1 John 3:14. “We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. 1 John 4:7-8. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” If we know God, we know that Jesus is God in the flesh. If we know God is love, then we know Jesus’ life defined God’s love. He made it tangible, relevant, and real so He could continue loving His own to the very end through us. Today, He lives to love in us, His disciples. That love is the proof that we have His life dwelling in us and that we truly know Him—to the praise of His glorious grace and presence.

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com

John 13:34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
Little children, this is the direction that Jesus gave His disciples as He prepared them for His departure. It’s not a suggestion, it’s a commandment. He was sending them just like He was sent by the Father, and thus honoring and glorifying them as the Father had glorified Him. So first, let’s realize that with the command, Jesus is loving us as the Father had loved Him. Second, let’s be encouraged that in receiving the command like a little child receives a command from his father, Jesus has put us in the privileged position to bring Him glory as we obey. Knowing we glorify Him by our obedience is motivational. Third, Jesus knew that with the command, His disciples could be assured of future grace that He will supply for the mission to be fulfilled. Fourth, they (by experience) and we (by His Word and experience) know what He meant when He said love as I have loved you. As their Master and Teacher, Jesus had just emptied Himself and served them like a lowly servant because His Father loved them. Surely they understood they were to do the same to each other out of love for and obedience to Him. Have we received Jesus’ commandment like a little child receives direction and instruction from his parents? Simply receive the work of God in your life today, receive this commandment from Jesus as a commandment from your heavenly Father, and obey with a simple trust His purposes for you. You, we, have been called as little children to live to love with Jesus for the rest of our lives. What a privilege and honor!

Acknowledgment: Music from “Carried by the Father” by Eric Terlizzi. www.ericterlizzi.com