He Always Loves

Josh Mihalko shares these wonderful thoughts with us today. I love when God speaks to someone and then we share what we’ve learned. We’ve been told to tell. We’ve been won to win! Ty Josh

So I woke up this Wednesday morning a little later than I usually get up, at 5:50 AM. Usual routine of taking care of the dogs and making my coffee and then getting into the word. It started in John chapter 15. I love reading in the gospel when Jesus is speaking (I pretend like it’s me he is talking to) I love that in chapter 15. He calls us his friends. I want people to think about this, he called the 12 disciples his friends in chapter 15 verse 15. Did not call them servants. They were his friend. Jesus is all knowing. He already knew what those friends were going to do to him in just a little bit of time. Throughout chapter 15, he explains to them that he needs them to follow his commandments and love one another. Now these disciples follow Jesus for about three years of his ministry. For the most part of three years. They proclaimed to love him. They proclaimed to follow him with everything they had. They left what they had and walked with him everywhere for almost 3 years professing that they would never turn their back. And what really blows my mind is that in chapter 16 Jesus tells them all in verse 32. “ behold the hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and will leave me alone.”  we all know Jesus is all knowing. He knew when they came to get him to crucify him to beat him that the 12 that were following him Were  already going to scatter and not be with him.  But he still loved them. He still washed all of their feet. He still called them friends. He still broke the bread and drank the wine with them, He still sent the Holy Spirit back to them as he says in chapter 16 “ I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you.”   with this knowledge given to the disciples, what happened? Even though Jesus walked with them, and they could hear the words coming out of his very mouth they still disobeyed, they still ran when they took Jesus, they still denied knowing him. As he hung there on the cross, only a couple of women were there to witness it, and scripture does state in Matthew 27:55-56 that they were looking from a distance.  He did not renege on his word he did send the Helper.  To the same guys that ran away, that disobeyed, that did not show obedience, love, faithfulness to Jesus when he was hanging, but he loved them so much, thats why he hung there. Jesus loves us all so much that he died for all of us. So that the Holy Spirit can come inside of ALL of us. And that is what he wants from every single one of us. Let’s not be like those disciples and run away when times get tough when we think we can’t make it anymore. That is when he wants us to reach out the most. He loves us so much and he wants us to love everybody the way he loves. That’s why he tells us in 1John 4:7-8 “ beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love.”   I believe when you think of the entire situation, you see how much he loves us. He knew for three years what was going to happen to him? He never once cried about it. He never doubted it. He never yelled at the disciples for what they were going to do to him, he simply loved them. And he died for them just as he died for all of us. Every single human Jesus died for.  Let us always be bold about our faith.  Let us not be ashamed to profess our love that we have for the Lord to everyone so they can see Christ in you and want to follow the light that shines!   John 8:12 “ I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in dark darkness, but we have the light of life.”  I hope everybody has a blessed day!   

Make it a Thoughtful Thursday!  God is good…