Focus: Embracing His Love

Text: Gal.2:20

"The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, WHO LOVED ME, and gave himself for ME."

God's love for us is unique and personal. He loves each person like there is no one else to love. Paul says, "Who loved ME, and gave himself for ME." Paul took God's love very personal. Mary and Martha sent a message to our Lord Jesus, saying, "Lord, behold, HE whom THOU lovest is sick" (Jh.11:3). Jesus personally loved Lazarus, and his sisters knew it. It was evidently clear to them that Jesus loved their brother. Mark records an encounter the Lord Jesus had with the Rich Young Ruler. He says, "Then Jesus beholding HIM LOVED HIM" (Mk.10:21). Just looking at the young man, the Lord Jesus was drawn to him. His love flowed to him.

I believe the Apostle John in his Gospel was referring to himself as "the disciple whom Jesus loved." Jesus' love for people is always personal, and it is His love planted in our hearts that propels us to loving others. We are ignited and galvanized by His love.

Now let us go through the five places where "the disciple whom Jesus loved" occurs and learn how to respond to love.

1. Leaning on love

The first place is John 13:23, and it says, "Now there was LEANING on Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved." John felt at home with the Lord Jesus Christ. He was leaning and resting on Jesus' love. Let your response to the love of Christ be to lean on it. Appreciate and appropriate to yourself the richness of His love.

2. Standing by love

The second place is John 19:26, and it reads, "When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple STANDING BY, whom he loved…" At the point of Jesus' arrest all the disciples forsook Him. But John whom Jesus loved came back and stood by Him all the way to the end. Love sticks. John's response to the Master's love was standing by and sticking to Him in time of suffering. Be it in fair or foul weather love sticks. Let us keep close to Christ and His cross - the source and symbol of love.

3. Discovering love

The third place is Jh.20:2,4, which says, "Then she RUNNETH, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him… So they RAN both together: and the other disciple did OUTRUN Peter, and came first to the sepulchre." John discovered that love never dies. Bury love a million times and it will always resurrect. Peter says that "it was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Act.2:24). The power of love is stronger than the power of death. John saw things that forever convinced him that his Lord was no longer in the grips of death. I pray God to help us discover and appreciate the conquering power of love. Our response to the love of Christ is discovering more of His love and loving Him more deeply in return and being loyal to Him. Let us be passionate in loving the Lord who loves us.

4. Recognizing love

The fourth place is John 21:7. It says, "Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord." John's response to love was recognizing the Lord. He says to Peter, "It is the Lord." The heart knows whom it loves and who loves it. Let us get to know the Lord more clearly.

5. Following love

The final place is John 21:20. We read: "Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved FOLLOWING; which also LEANED on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?" John was leaning on, and following the One who loved him. Our response to love is following in the tracks of it. Love is the way to go and the way to live. The path of love leads to God who is love. Loving is living. Let us follow the Lord more closely.

by Bishop Moses E. Peter