John 15:9-10, New King James Version

“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide 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.”

It takes a true desire for change in one's life to really seek out truth, to seek the Lord Jesus Christ, to seek change. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday today and forever. In this case, Jesus does not need to change, however, we do. We are shaped throughout our lives by the things we experience through life, from childhood to adulthood. We have to unlearn the ways of the world and learn the ways of God. This isn't something that just happens overnight, but something that we should pursue daily. I was reading my Bible and came across the scripture from John 15:9-10 (NKJV), “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide 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.” These are the words right from Jesus’ mouth.

Perhaps we should be taking time in our daily walk to meditate on the love that God has for us. I know that John 3:16 is quoted often, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV) These too are words straight from the mouth of Jesus. He had not yet been crucified. He knew, even then, that He would be sacrificing His own self for the forgiveness of sins and bringing down the veil that separated us from our Father so that we could come boldly before Him when we were in need or desired to be with Him. Love. It was all for love. Would you be willing to sacrifice yourself for the sins of the world? Not many people would, yet Jesus, fully God and fully man, gave everything so that we could spend eternity with Him. I would encourage us to truly meditate on this scripture and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to us. What is our Father wanting to tell us about His love? If we truly receive His love, it will not only strengthen us, but it will change us. We will no longer want to follow the ways of the world or desire the ways of the flesh, but we will long for the will of God, His perfect and pleasing plan for our lives to come to fruition.  

The beautiful thing about God's love is that we do not have to wait until we are "perfect" or have "perfected" everything, which is impossible anyway, but we can come to Him just as we are. He doesn't want us to wait; He wants us to come. Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJV) says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” These are more beautiful words that come from the mouth of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Is your soul weary? Are you tired and feeling heavy and burdened? Then come, come the Jesus. Learn from Him. That is my prayer, even for myself, that I would come to Him, that I would learn from Him, to know to understand and to carry His yoke that is easy and His burden that is light. You see, Satan wants us to live under a heavy yoke that wears us down and steals the joy of our salvation. He wants us to live in shame, regret, feelings of being unloved or unwanted, undeserving and more. But when we really stop to think, and if we truly know God, then we know that this does not come from Him! Scripture tells us that “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” (James 1:17, NKJV) Do you believe that shame, regret, feelings of being unloved or unwanted, undeserving and more are good? That they come from God? Of course they do not!

We must connect ourselves to the true vine, Jesus Christ! What does Jesus say? How can we know what He says if we are not spending time with Him and time in His word? I would encourage us to spend time in His word and to let His word deeply enrich our lives. Let it sink from your head to your heart, and let His love change the way you think, the way you act, the way you speak. Let us receive every good and every perfect gift that comes from above. Let us walk confidently in who God is and who Christ is in us! Life can be a challenge, but greater is He who lives in us than he who is in the world!

I pray that if you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ, that you would come to Him today. Open your heart to Him and allow Him to show you His love! You don't have to perfect anything, just come as you are! He will meet you where you are because He loves you and He wants to have a relationship with you! He desires good things for you. I encourage you, let Him be the change in you, to make you the best version of yourself! “He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11, NKJV)