Stop and Savor: John 15:9
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love.”
How amazing! God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have co-existed in a loving relationship for eternity. Their love is the very definition of love! And that is how much God loves us!
Take a minute to look at Scriptures that show how the Father loves Jesus. Because I’ve been studying John with my life group, I mostly went through the gospel of John to find examples. But they are in the other gospels too and you can find them by looking up the word love in a commentary or searching for it in a Bible app. Only look at the gospels for this since we want to see how the Father showed His love to Jesus when Jesus was on earth.
The Father loves Jesus as His beloved Son.
Mark 1:11 - “And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.’”
The Father loves Jesus enough to give all things into His hand.
John 3:35 - “The Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand.”
The Father loves Jesus enough to show Him all He’s doing.
John 5:20 - “For the Father loves the Son and shows him all that he himself is doing. And greater works than these will he show him, so that you may marvel.”
The Father shows His love to Jesus by never leaving Him alone.
John 8:28-29 - “So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.”
Even though the Father loves Jesus, He charged Him to lay down His life, but gave Him the choice.
John 10:17-18 - “For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
Because the Father loves Jesus, He always hears Him when He prays.
John 11:41-42 - “So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this on account of the people standing around, that they may believe that you sent me.”
The Father dwells in Jesus.
John 14:10 - “Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”
Because the Father loves Jesus, if we love Jesus too, the Father and Son will come and dwell in us.
John 14:23 - “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”
Lastly, John shows us at the very beginning of his gospel that we can become God’s children! John 1:12 says, “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
So if you have received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are now God’s child and God the Father loves you the same as He loves Jesus, who is God the Son. What an astonishing gift! Take a moment to express your gratitude to Him and love for Him!