“As the Father hath loved me” . . . The Father’s love for His only Son . . . What thought-provoking words from just the first part of John 15:9!   In no way can we humanly grasp that level of affection for someone!  

Yet it is with that deep love that Jesus Christ loves us – “so have I loved you.”  Contemplating the Father’s love for His Son helps us to better understand the Son’s love for us, a love that is gentle, constant, and sacrificial.  

Jesus Christ then commands us to “continue . . . in my love.” Through His example of love to us, we can show gentle, constant, and sacrificial love to others.  Only through continuing in His love, by expressing the deepest, sincere love to others, can we find true joy!  

Sadly, there are times that I do not love others as I should, and I am humbled when I think of the opportunities I have been given to share Christ’s gentle, constant, and sacrificial love with others and have not.  In those moments, I have chosen to miss out on true joy.  

As we reflect on our daily interaction, we will all likely remember times when our love for others has not reflected the love our heavenly Father has for His Son and for us.  In those moments, we have not been walking in full joy – the full joy our Lord has intended for us.  

Though we may have faltered in sharing His love with others in the past, today we can choose to “continue in His love,” to love those around us unconditionally as He does.  Sometimes that may be hard.  Sometimes we may simply not want to show His love to those who have hurt us.  

But we know we should.  How can we share His love with our flawed hearts?  Through Him.  For as we daily endeavor to know our Lord and to be more like Him, we will be better equipped to sincerely show His gentle, constant, and sacrificial love to others.  

Abiding in Christ leads us to daily evaluate our walk with the Lord, surrender to His will, and make the necessary changes so that others see Him in us!  Him in us.