Living to love with Jesus is a matter of obedience

1 John 3:23 This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us. John had just said that we have confidence before God because we keep His commandments. In this verse, we have John’s live to love call explicitly stated. He stated Jesus’ commandment, then specified two commandments. So, in someway, in John’s mind, the two meld together as one. In John 14:1, Jesus commanded His disciples, to believe in Him if they believe in God. In the following verses of John 14, Jesus revealed that He and the Father were one—each abiding in the other. In short, Jesus said that He was God in the flesh. Three times in Jesus’ Olivet discourse, He commanded His disciples to love. In John 13:34, Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” John 15:12,“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.” John 15:17, “This I command you, that you love one another.” How do these two commandments become one? Believing in the name of Jesus is to believe that Jesus is God in the flesh who obeyed His Father’s commandment to lay down His life for His own and then take His life up again in the resurrection. Jesus told His disciples how they were going to obey His commandment, through His resurrection life dwelling in them. John 15:4-5, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” In my words, Jesus commanded them to believe that He lives and dwells in them. He is with us. He commanded them to love as He loves. Living to love with Jesus is a matter of obedience. The only way we can obey that commandment is to believe that Jesus lives with us. So in short, we are called to live to love with Jesus. This is His commandment. So by the grace of Jesus Christ, believe He is with you and love with Him. Living to love with Jesus is our confidence in prayer and when we come to. stand in the judgment. Because Jesus is our life and He loves through us, we know we are loved by the Father. We know His love covers all our sins, fills our hearts to overflowing, and pours out on those He puts in our paths. We also know we are obeying Jesus to live to love with Him. It doesn’t happen by chance, we intend to obey His commandment. I hope this verse encourages you to obey Jesus Christ, and intentionally and prayerfully live to love with Jesus. If His commandment abides in you and you abide in Him, you will bring God glory and look forward to the day when you stand in the presence of God with His Son.