All Beholding Beauty devotionals are written as short, worshipful reflections to help you meditate on God’s Word.
As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. – John 15:9
Have you ever heard something so shocking that you immediately dismissed it as impossible or simply untrue?
I am tempted to respond in that same way when I read the words of Jesus that are found in John 15:9. The only difference is that I believe every word of Scripture is inspired by God (breathed out by Him) and inerrant (containing no error or fault in all of its teaching), and so I completely believe that these words are true. Perhaps the better way of explaining it is to say that I’m in awe, my mind is blown, or I just can’t fathom the truth that this verse contains.
So what do I do when I come to this verse? I do the only thing that I’m able to do: fall to my knees in worship! Let me show you why this truth blows my mind.
Jesus taught that He existed with the Father (and the Holy Spirit as well) for all eternity (John 17:5). The Trinity has always been, and always will be. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have perfectly loved one another for all of eternity past and future. The Father has always delighted in His Son, the Son has always delighted in His Father, and the Holy Spirit has always been the bond of love within the Trinity! This is infinite, perfect love! This is a love that we could never comprehend!
Please think about the person that you love most in this life. It could be a parent, a spouse, or a child. Now, all of us would say that nothing could compare to the love that we have for that specific person. But I would suggest that your love for that person is like a drop in a cup, and the Father’s love for His Son is like every body of water that covers the earth! The divine love far surpasses our mere human love.
So when Jesus—in John 15:9—tells us that He loves us in the same way that the Father loves Him, it should completely blow our minds! It should give us that same feeling that we have when we stand at the edge of the Grand Canyon, or when we stare into the heavens and realize that the created universe is so much bigger than just what we see right in front of us. It should stir us up to realize that the Trinitarian God loves us, the very people that deserve the exact opposite treatment!
We are sinners, and therefore His enemies. And yet, God has graciously lavished His love onto us, to the point that He would save us through the sacrifice of His own Son on the cross! There is no greater love, and that love has been given to God’s elect.
Praise be to God!
Matt became a joyful follower of Jesus at the age of 21. He is very grateful to be a husband to Lindsey, and a father to four boys. He is an ordained minister (teaching elder) in the PCA. He previously served as a pastor of biblical counseling and is currently a corporate chaplain in southern Delaware. Matt received his Master of Divinity degree in Biblical Counseling from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and holds an advanced certification in biblical counseling from the Association of Biblical Counselors. In his free time, he loves playing with his boys, traveling with his wife, and reading (and buying!) books.
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