In our concluding reflections on John 15, we delve into the profound truths revealed by Jesus as he invites us to prioritize communion with Him. Let’s explore these insights together.
Reason #8 – We need to feel His love v. 9-10
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.” – John 15:9
In verses 9-10, Jesus masterfully intertwines love and obedience, challenging the conventional separation between them. He equates His love for His disciples with the Father’s love for Him, emphasizing the necessity of remaining in communion with Him to experience this love.
Reflecting on my own journey, I grappled with the idea of obedience as a prerequisite for God’s love. However, I discovered that the law reflects Jesus’ character, and obeying His commands is akin to embodying who He is—bearing fruit of life with God. Love and law are not opposed; they’re intertwined. Obedience is not a prerequisite for God’s love, but it is the fruit of God’s love.
Jesus’s wisdom shines through as He urges us to embrace pruning, dependence, warning, and obedience. Embracing these aspects of discipleship leads to a deeper sense of His love–which in turn leads us to further obedience as we trust the goodness of God’s commands more and more.
Reason #9 – Our joy depends on it v. 11
“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” – John 15:11
Consider what brings you sustained joy. Jesus confronts our self-sufficiency, emphasizing the necessity of Christ-dependency. He promises His joy to overflow within us as we abide in Him. When Christ is formed in us, joy emerges. Jesus desires nothing less than complete joy for His disciples, found in His presence.
2024
As we reflect on our sources of joy, imagine 2024 as a year of unparalleled joy, grounded in communion with Christ. Jesus invites us to relinquish our preconceived notions of happiness and embrace His joy. By prioritizing communion with Him, we invite true, abiding joy into our lives.
Right now, Jesus is looking us in the face, He is chuckling at our ideas of what could make us happy. But this is the moment where He says, “Are you done? I will give you my joy, my very fullness of joy, all you have to do is prioritize communion with Me and I will do the rest.” What if, 2024 was in fact a better year, but not because we forgot about the woes and perils of 2023, but because we set communion with Christ down as the cornerstone of our lives and God was glorified in our midst and a true and abiding joy fell down from heaven upon our lives as Christ was formed in our hearts?
Conclusion
Jesus, in His intimate discourse with His disciples, unveils the ultimate source of joy: Himself. As we have journeyed through the profound truths of John 15, we’ve discovered that true joy isn’t found in fleeting pleasures or external circumstances but in the abiding presence of Christ within us. So, as we step into the uncertainties of the future, let’s anchor our hearts in the unshakeable joy that comes from communion with Christ. For in Him, we find not just fleeting happiness, but a joy that overflows, a joy that transcends circumstances, a joy that is eternal. Let’s make 2024 the year we prioritize communion with Christ above all else, allowing His joy to permeate every aspect of our lives and radiate to those around us.
