Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so

Scripture: John 15:12-17 (ESV)

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have 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 abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”

There is something wonderfully simple, but practical, about children’s Sunday School worship songs. At the moment “The Books of the Bible” is on high rotation at our house, along with other favourites like Rend Collective’s My Lighthouse and The Perfect 10 (which is about the 10 Commandments). In my humble opinion, one of the most profound children’s songs is Jesus Loves Me. In case you are unfamiliar, these are the lyrics:

Jesus loves me! This I know,
For the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong;
They are weak, but He is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
Yes, Jesus loves me!
The Bible tells me so.

The reason this is so wonderful a song is because it is actually true. How do we know it’s true that Jesus loves us? Because he showed us. In this passage, Jesus gives his disciples a commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you.” That is a pretty high standard for loving each other. Why? Because Jesus explains what love really means.

“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.”

Jesus shows us that he geniuinely loves us, even though it would cost him his life. He would lay down his life for his disciples, and for us. His love put us first, despite the cost. And if you ever wonder whether God loves you, just look at what he was willing to do for you. Yes Jesus loves me, the Bible tells me so. But also, Yes Jesus loves me, because he went all the way to the cross to set me free.

Now now notice something amazing here. Jesus calls his disciples friends. “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends.” Think about that. The Son of God, the King of kings, calls us his friends. This isn’t because of anything we’ve done to deserve it. He says, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” Again, here we see the wonderful doctrine of election at play.

But notice also that being Jesus’ friend comes with a built in purpose. He says he chose and appointed his disciples to “go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide.” And how do we bear that fruit? Through prayerful dependence on God. See Jesus says, “Whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.”

Now we have to be careful, because we can think that this is a blank cheque to ask for anything we want. But Jesus specifically says that we are pray in his name. Praying in his name means praying in line with his character, his will, and his mission.

So that then leaves us with the question: When you consider your prayer life, how aligned is it with Jesus’ mission? How much of your prayer life is a laundry list of requests you want, and how much of your prayer life look like “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on Earth as it is in heaven”?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank you for calling me your friend and for showing me what true love looks like. Help me to love others as you have loved me. Amen.

Spiritual Challenge:

Write down a prayer that exclusively prays for things you know will be in line with Jesus’ will and mission. Then commit to praying it for the next week.