Stay

"Stay here" is a popular command for children. When my kids were little we would often have to tell them to "stay right here, don't move" when we wanted to find them quickly and not have to search all over for them.

Jesus tells us, his children, to "stay". He told his disciples: "remain in my love" (John 15:9). To "remain" is to abide, stay put, endure, or continue in his love. In the next verse He told them how: "If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love."

Jesus gave many commands - love one another, don't lust after money or women, have faith, be humble, be servants, pray constantly, etc...So if we obey Christ we will remain in His love. To obey Him I also need to know Him and his commands, so prayer and meditation on His words become indispensable.

It is interesting that Paul told us that if we walk in the Spirit and don't quench nor grieve the Spirit we can bear the Spirit's fruit which starts with love. Paul wrote that "...the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom. 5:5)

So obeying Christ's commands, through the power of the Spirit, keeps us connected to Christ and fills us with His love through the Spirit. This Spirit-given love fills our hearts and enables us to love God, love other believers, and love a hell-bound world.

Stay.

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