John 15: ⁹ “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! ¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. ¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

so again this morning God is talking to me about being obedient to Him... and He tells me that our obedience or lack of it is really based upon our love for Him... and I think about that... and I would like to say I love you even when I don't obey you... but God has chosen us special... He has loved us without ending... the least we can do in return is to be obedient to what He asks of us....

I am coming to realize that the day to day.. not spiritual things.. like being good stewards of our belongings and our people entrusted to us... those things show how much we really love God.. because us being loving to others.. that really isn't about them being loveable all the time.. it certainly isn't about us just being oh so loving on our own... it is about being more Christlike.. about allowing God to fill us with His love and let it flow out from us.. day to day... maybe we can change a world.... one person at a time...