As a fellowship, we are called by God to Love Him, to Love People and to Live God’s Message.  Our focus in January is upon Loving God. 
 
We describe God as Triune – three Persons in One.  God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The intertwining character of God’s nature presents a bit of a challenge in identifying specific, or different, ways that we love the Father, we love the Son, and we love the Spirit.  Our love for God essentially comes down to living in a right relationship with Him. In the same manner we relate to people, we live in right relationship with God by agreed upon ways.  For instance, one aspect of living in right relationship with Helen, my bride, is by keeping my vows to her.
 
Yet…. because God is God, and we are not, we live in right relationship with God based upon what He has established as the ways.  These “ways” are integrally linked to the person of Jesus – the way, the truth, the life.  Jesus taught, lived, and embodied the ways of living in right relationship with God.
 
So, as we work our way through these words of Jesus, ask Him to show you the ways of living in relationship with His Father. (The awesome truth is that Jesus also gives us His Holy Spirit to empower us to live in relationship with the Father – more about this next week!)
 
January 21, 2012 -  21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me.
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, show me the way today.  Bring to my heart and mind any and each way that I am not keeping your commandments.  I want to love you by keeping in step with Your ways.”
 
January 22, 2012 - And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
 
Because of the intertwining nature of our Triune God, our love for Jesus puts us in a place of being loved by the Father.  But, you might ask, doesn’t God love me, no matter what? Our relationship with God is reciprocal – it is a two way street, as are all healthy relationships.   Our goal is to love God, not live outside of His ways and count on His forgiveness.
 
Jesus uses a word filled with meaning when He says that He will “manifest” Himself to you.  This is the word that speaks of God making Himself known.  We derive our word “epiphany” from the word Jesus used.  So, do you want to know Jesus?  Keep His ways and He will make Himself known to you.
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, I want to know you and make You known. I trust You today to make Yourself known to me as I follow You. Lord Jesus, let the adventure begin!”
 
January 23, 2012 -  22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 
 
One of the disciples shared the name “Judas” with the disciple we know as a traitor.  John, our author, makes sure we know that this good question comes from a different Judas.  His question is a good one because the word Jesus used for “Manifest” was closely associated with the great, world-wide, appearing of the Messiah. How could Jesus make Himself known to His followers without the rest of the world knowing?
 
If you read ahead to the next verse, Jesus doesn’t answer Judas’ question.  Could it be that the question already contains the answer? In other words, could it be that by making Himself known to the disciples, He is making Himself known to the world?
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, make Yourself known to others through me today.”
 
January 24, 2012 - 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. 
 
Jesus used a communication technique that was common among the Rabbis of His time.  Jesus would use the same phrase repeated again with a slight variation that further illuminates the truth being expressed.  So, verse 23 is almost identical to the words and truth spoken in verses 21-22.
 
The connection between keeping the word of Jesus and keeping His commandments is easily made.  The reciprocal love of Jesus/Father for the believer who follows the ways of Jesus is restated.  The variation between verses 21-22 and verse 23 has to do with Jesus coming to the follower and making His home there.
 
John 14 begins with Jesus promising to His followers that He would go and prepare a place for them in the Father’s home.  How I long for the day when the Bridegroom will come for us, His Bride!
 
And,…I am humbled that “in the meantime”, Jesus is making His home within me.  Let this truth sink deeply into your whole being – Jesus is making His home in you as you love Him and keep His word.  (Read that sentence again.)
 
Jesus is preparing a place for us in heaven and He is preparing His Bride on Earth to be “fit for heaven” by living within us now.  What a Savior we love!
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, please make Yourself at home in me.  Let me be a person where I find myself at home with You as I follow Your way.”
 
January 25, 2012 - 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words.
 
If you are like me, I wrestle with this verse.  Not because I doubt in any way that what Jesus is saying is not true.  I wrestle with this verse because I want to see myself through my own self-estimation.  I want to see myself as a person who loves Jesus and keeps His words… at least the ones that are to my liking.  I want Jesus on my terms, not His.
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, I surrender to You. I surrender my self-will. I surrender myself to you on Your terms.  Thank You that You are gracious to me. Thank you that You stubbornly invite me to love You again.”
 
January 26, 2012 - And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
Jesus also had a self-estimation about Himself.  He knew that He had come from His Father.  His words come from His Father.  His works come from His Father.  He comes from His Father.
 
The “word” of Jesus is so much more than the musings of a Palestinian carpenter.  His word is the word of God.  If you have surrendered to Jesus, His delight is to teach the word of God, His Father. He will teach you about the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, teach me about You, the Way, the Truth, the Life.”
 
January 27, 2012  - Read slowly through these words at least three times…
 21 Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” 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. 24 Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the Father's who sent me.
 
Which word or phrase stands out amidst the others?  Why is God impressing this word or phrase upon your heart?
 
Today’s Prayer – “Jesus, I praise You for giving Yourself, Your word, Your commandments to save and guide Your followers.  Let me see Your feet on the path ahead of me today as I follow You.”
 
Blessings, Pastor Ken