Trust and Love, Everything We Need

"This is God's command: to trust in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us" (1 John 3:23). "In the name of his Son" means in the genuine reality of who Jesus is. Trust Jesus Himself and His loving character. "As he commanded" us is "To love one another as He has loved us" (John 13:34).

God's command (singular) is to trust Jesus and to love others as He has loved us. Galatians 5:6 says, "The ONLY thing that counts is trust being expressed through love." The only thing that counts is trust in Jesus being expressed through loving actions by God in you. This is the natural product of trusting Jesus thus "His commands are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3). Our trust in Him naturally expresses love because He is the vine, He produces the love and love comes out of us as we trust Him.

Those residing in the vine bear much fruit (John 15:5). What is God's fruit? Love! The fruit of God's Spirit is love (singular). The rest of the list tells you what love consists of "joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, gentleness, & self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). The Hebrew word for the Spirit of God is Ruach which means exhaling. He is forever breathing out in His self-giving love for us. God is love so the fruit of God's Spirit is Jesus! He gives Himself away as a never ending breeze! While God only breathed into Adam once to make Him alive, Jesus never stops breathing His life into us!

In John 6:28-29 some people asked Jesus, "What do we do to perform God's works?" Jesus told them, "This is the ONLY work God wants from you: Trust in the one he has sent." This is deeply true. Trust is the only thing you have to do, everything else is done by God through you because you trust Him! Why do we trust Him? Because He loves us! How much does God love us? The Father loves us just as much as He loves Jesus! Jesus loves us just as much as the Father loves Him! (see John 17:20-23 & 15:9)

Immense in mercy & with an incredible love, God embraced us. Because of his great love for us He took our sin-dead lives & made us alive in Christ. He saved us, cured us of sin, & made us whole by His favor. He picked us up and set us down in highest heaven with Jesus. Throughout eternity God plans to show us the incomparable riches of his favor, graciousness, & love by expressing His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:4-7).