31 Days - Love and joy

Jesus spoke these words in John 15:
⁹ “As the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Remain in My love. ¹⁰ 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.
¹¹ “I have spoken these things to you so that My joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. ¹² This is My command: Love one another as I have loved you. 

Jesus loves us, as the Father loved Him.  The Father who spoke from heaven and told His Son that He was beloved.  The Father who spoke from heaven and told His Son that He was pleased with Him.  The Father who sent this Son...out of love for each and every one of us.  The Lamb for the sacrifice for our sins.

Jesus asks us to remain in His love.  And how do we do that?  By keeping His commands.  Just as He, Jesus, kept His Father's commands.  Jesus knew how to treat other people because He knew that love.  And He showed us over and over how to love one another.  He is our teacher, our model, our guide.  He commands us to love one another...as He loved.  To treat each other with compassion, as He had compassion.  To correct each other, with words spoken in truth and love.  To support each other, by sharing what we have with those who have not.  To share the Gospel with the world who doesn't know Him.

He very clearly told us what we need to do.  And why.  To remain in love.  To remain in His love.  To remain in Him.  To be filled with His joy.  A complete joy...not a fleeting "joy",  and not just a little bit of joy.  Complete joy.  It's what He wants for each of us.  Love...and joy.