Love.

Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. John 15: 4-5

What does that mean, remain in me? Well, Jesus tells us a few verses later…

If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love… John 15: 10

All of the commands? Well yeah, except, He puts it this way…

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. John 15: 12

And that my friends is the challenge, the battle that we walk into every day, to love one another. We live in a world that makes it so easy to do the opposite. The enemy is HARD at work and he is having a heyday…bringing about the absence of love in our lives. I see it on social media, I hear it on CNN, on Fox News, and I feel it in the halls of my school. The absence of love is everywhere you turn. There is disunity and distrust. How do we combat that? With love. You’ve heard it said, “Kill them with kindness.” Well, I believe the root of kindness, the root of all that is good, is love. And the ONLY reason I can love others is because I know how loved I am. I accepted Jesus into my life long ago, but He chased me down. He showed me His relentless love. And every morning I wake up I say this prayer: Thank you God for another day, help me to love you and love your people more. It’s not on my own accord that I can love the people around me, it’s because Jesus died on the cross for me. It’s because Jesus shed His blood for me. And in that moment, He laid His life down, willingly, for me…there is no greater love. I have founded my life on that love. I am assured in that love and because of that, I attempt every day to love God and love His people. I attempt to combat this world with exactly what it needs, love.

It sometimes feels like it would be easier to put people down who have hurt me with their words. It feels like it would be easier to hold grudges against friends and family who have hurt me. It feels easier to complain about my coworkers or be negative about the flaws of the education system. It feels easier to compare myself to others, to put myself down. It feels easier to binge watch Netflix than spend time with God. It feels easier to gossip, judge, and ridicule others than look at my own flaws. It feels easier to yell and scream when I am angry or frustrated. It feels easier to do “self-help” rather than “self-sacrifice.” But, I am here to tell you, it’s not easier. Maybe in the moment, but really, all of that “easier,” it just causes me to spiral farther away from love, leaving me to feel empty and alone. The answer isn’t in what the world perceives as “easier.” The answer is exactly what Jesus tells us in John 15: 12, “Love each other as I have loved you.” Remain in Jesus and He will remain in you. Allow Him to fill you because when you do, you will see just how easy it is to love God and love His people. If you are wondering, “His people?” It’s ALL of us. You and me. Jesus came for us all, sinners like you and me (1 Timothy 1: 15). And to experience what He has for us, to have the fruit of the spirit, to love more…we must remain in Jesus.

But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5: 22