The Breakdown: Jesus and Love

Jesus was firmly established in an intimate living fellowship with God and faith in God. His actions and teachings had their life source in God’s love. The secret of the life of Jesus was his connectedness with God. He withdrew regularly into a solitary place to meet and have fellowship with God. Jesus was always abiding in God.

In our day we find it hard to withdraw from our busy schedules to be with God. We are hard-pressed for time to listen to His voice of love and grace. When we take the time to speak to God, we are often not patient enough to wait on Him and listen to His voice.

“Remain in my Love”, we hear the invitation of Jesus coming to us. Don’t just do a hit-and-run kind of deal. But remain! Abide! Stay for a while! And listen…

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you…”, says Jesus in verse 9. That begs the question, “How did Jesus experience His Father’s love?” What did he get from God in exchange for his obedience?

Jesus’ connectedness with the Father prepared him for the suffering that was to come. Suffering does not equate to being far from God. We should be preparing our hearts for suffering. Throughout the New Testament, Paul refers to every Christian's suffering. The beauty of this though is that we have been prepared to suffer well by the Father’s love if we have been connected to him.