This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.
These things I command you, that you love one another. John 15. New King James Version.
Many years ago as a young Christian I was encouraged to commit verses of scripture to memory, not just so that I could drop them into conversation but to build me up and perhaps prepare me for a time when I could no longer see the words of the Bible clearly.
Verse 16 from John 15 was one of those verses, and I would like to direct your thoughts to three points which seem to stand out.
Firstly – we are chosen.
I well remember times when, as children, a group of us decided that we would play a team game. The easy bit was selecting the two team leaders. Each leader in turn picked one of the group to join his team. Then the other leader had his choice. And so it went on, really with little or no thought to what was going through the minds of those still waiting to be selected. I usually finished up near the end or became the spare one as both teams were already equal. A bit of a disaster, for me at least. How wonderful it would have been to have been in the thoughts of the leader right at the start! The good news is that Jesus views us as His first choice! What a wonderful encouraging and mind blowing experience. He chose us – just as we were, and settled His love on us as if there was no one else at all!
When I knelt on the hard stone steps of a Glasgow tenement and asked a young girl if she would be my bride I made my choice and she accepted my proposal. Remember that Jesus makes the choice and all we do is accept His proposal.
Next – we are charged.
The Bible says he “appointed us” or even “ordained us” [Authorised Version] Simply, it means He gave us a task to do and gave us the equipment to perform that task. It is not for a special class of people but is for all those who He has chosen. That’s me, and that’s you too.
Now that things like photography (and children’s games) have become digital it means that we have to have a huge supply of batteries or else get a battery that can be re-charged. With a battery charger it’s really great! Connect to the supply and put the battery in touch with the charger, and leave. It is not a few minutes job, but takes time (hours in fact). And this is how we are “charged” by our Lord. He’s the power supply and we need to connect with Him – and stay connected! He will make it clear when we are ready.
Thirdly – we are changed.
We can never be the same again after we have come to know the power of Jesus working in our lives. This verse says that the reason he has chosen us and charged us is not just simply to bear fruit, although that is important. It is that our fruit should remain. Not just bearing fruit once now and again as we see in nature, but something that is supernatural, bearing fruit constantly and that fruit lasting. It has His life in it! And it’s not just leading others to know Jesus – it’s about creating new lives and new attitudes. Have you ever had someone come to you and say “I remember when you said [or did and so on] and it made me think, or even changed my life.” You never knew that you had that effect, but it was part of your fruit that has lasted.
Ian W. Blewitt.
Ian & Isobel are members of Barnsley Christian Fellowship – Hope House Church.