Live to Love Scripture Encouragement

John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
Jesus is the life—the vine. He was sent to be the life-giver. In knowing Jesus, we know the Father—the only true God. To know and have the life of Jesus abiding in our bodies and souls is to have life eternal dwelling in us—a life that will never die. John wrote in 1 John 5:11-13, “And the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son.
He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.”
Do you have the testimony of God in you—the eternal life of Jesus? Living to love with Jesus is the testimony, for God is love. As Jesus said only moments before these words, “My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” John 15:8.

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

John 17:1-2 “Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life.”
First, today, let’s give thanks to God! He has glorified His Son Jesus by giving Him authority to give eternal life. If we or anyone has eternal life, then it is a gift from God. Glory to God! Second, if we have eternal life, we were given as a gift to Jesus by the Father. We are not our own. We have belonged to God from before the foundation of the world. That’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? We are Jesus’ inheritance. Be in awe! The Father has glorified His Son by creating a people for Himself in Christ that He might save them from their sins, make a place for them in Himself, that He might bring them to God, and unite them as one even as the Father and Son are united as one in love. That’s why we live to love with Jesus. Glory to God!

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

John 17:1 “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You,”
Jesus had just said to His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." Then He turned His focus to His Father in prayer. John 17 records that prayer. It is an amazing, wonderful, awe-inspiring, gift to us. We are treated to what makes Jesus’ heart beat—the glory of God.
When we are filled with the Spirit of the Father and Son, we also will pray, “Father in heaven, glorify Your Son in me that the Son may glorify You.” Isn’t this what it means to pray in Jesus’ name? To pray as He would pray? To pray with the same heart beat as He prays? Jesus recognized that the hour had come for Him to lay down His life and reveal the love of God. In a small way, but not an insignificant way, each hour of our lives is our hour to do the same thing—lay down our lives, to love with Jesus, for the glory of God. May we be consumed with the glory of God today as we manifest His love.

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

John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."
What are “these things” of which Jesus spoke that provided a basis for peace in His disciples, and all those who follow after them? The immediate things He had spoken are these: He knows what is to come and is in total control. They are going to be scattered in the next few minutes, and Jesus and the Father are going to accomplish what He was sent to accomplish. But even in that difficult hour, they may have peace in Jesus Himself. Earlier in the evening, He had told them that He was going to prepare a place in Himself for them so that where He was, they could be with Him. The only place of peace in this world is in Jesus. Why? Because He has overcome the world.
Jesus told them He had already overcome the world. He didn’t say to them that He would overcome the world. What did He mean? I think He was referring to the fact that He had lived for 33 years in this world and Satan, the devil, the god of this world, still had nothing in Him by which to snag Him, trip Him up, or cause Him to fail in His mission of redemption. It had already been settled in Him, He was giving Himself up for His friends, and nothing and no one could stop Him or prevent it. Not only could the disciples take courage from that great truth, so can all who trust in Jesus.
We can expect tribulation in this world. It hated Jesus, it will hate us. But, that can’t stop us from living to love anymore than it could stop Him from living to love. Nor can it destroy our peace, because our peace doesn’t come from anyone or anything in this world. It comes from Jesus, Himself. His life. His death. His resurrection. His presence. As we go through the tribulation in this world, may our hearts take courage as we follow Paul’s admonition in Colossians 3:15, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.”

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

John 16:32 “Behold, an hour is coming, and has already come, for you to be scattered, each to his own home, and to leave Me alone; and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with Me.”
Sometimes, it feels like we are all alone. There’s no one to stand with us. In Jesus’ hour of betrayal, there was no one standing with Him. The apostle Paul faced such an hour. He wrote to Timothy in 2 Tim. 4:16-17, “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me.” Jesus and Paul were left alone, yet, they were not alone. The Father was with Jesus in His hour of trial and Jesus was with Paul in his hour of trial.
Whatever trial believers face, regardless of how they feel or regardless of the circumstances, they are not alone. Jesus is with them. He promised to be with His disciples forever when He told them in John 14:16 “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever.” The disciples at that moment did not have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, so moments later, they were scattered. We do have the Holy Spirit, the power and presence of Jesus, dwelling within us. So even though there are times we may feel alone and it appears there is no one with us, we are not alone. He lives to love in and through us.

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