Learning How to Abide in God’s Love

“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.”

Love is so important to the Father, we are called to love and serve one another. One thing I realised on my own love journey is that I had to learn what and how God’s love operates and then to abide in His love. So exactly how can we do this? 

1. Experience God’s love for yourself

The bible said that God loved you and I so much that He gave Jesus. God is a giving God and knowing the price Jesus had to pay on the cross, God still gave. The bible says you were the joy set before Jesus as He endured the cross. And so the first thing to do is accept Jesus into your life (see prayer below) so you can experience His transforming love for yourself. God is telling us to act out of love because He acts out of His love for us.

2. Understand that there is nothing you can do to earn God’s love

It is impossible to out-give God and there aren’t any works that you can do to get in God’s ‘good books’ or get that thing that you have been praying for; it is solely God’s grace, unmerited grace. You are loved by God, just as you are. The Bible says – “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

3. Be in receive mode from God

Sometimes, I feel so low and unworthy that I am unable to receive God’s love, grace, gifts, forgiveness. But your ability to receive from God allows you to experience the measure of His love and goodness, therefore that acts as a guide as to how you can love, how you can give and dish out blessings to others.

4. Keep God’s commands

Jesus says in John 14:15, if you love God you will keep His commandments. Being obedient to what God says is so important, we are human so naturally we are going to fall short, but thank God for grace! In keeping God’s commands, Jesus promises to give you a joy that is complete. 

5. Get to know the character of God

… By reading the word. If you are just starting or starting again, make your way through the Gospels first, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Learn about Jesus’ life on earth and how He served people.

6. Now, re-present God

Go out into the world and imitate God. You will see through the Bible that God is all about giving and action and now it is our turn. We are blessed to be a blessing, to spend time with the lost, use our words to lift people up, use our money to help those who need it, speak to and treat those who don’t treat you right well. For some people, you will be the only representation of God’s love that they will come across. What comes to mind is in every situation think, #WhatWouldJesusDo.   

So, how do you abide in God’s love. Invite Him into your life, accept His love, get to know His character and go into the world and represent God. When you draw close to God, He draws close to you, He never leaves you and He will show you the way.

A prayer to invite God into your life: 

Lord, I invite you into my life, Jesus I believe that you are the son of the living God and you died for my sins. Lord, I ask for your forgiveness from my sin. Help me to get to know you and to represent you on this earth. Amen.

Scriptures

John 14:15

John 3:16

Hebrews 12:2

Ephisians 2:8

James 4:8

Deuteronomy 31:6