From: "Beverly French" <frenchb@vcss.k12.ca.us>
To: "Heritage" <gheritage@juno.com>
Subject: Greetings to All
Date: Sunday, December 17, 2000 9:31 AM

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."  John 14:15

These are words of Jesus spoken to His disciples during His farewell
discourse to them before His crucifiction.  He spoke these words several
times during that farewell as we shall see.  As I see it, the time they are
spoken and repeated causes us to take special heed of them.  Let's look at
them in the Amplified Bible and see how they open up to each of us.

"The person who has My commands and keeps them is the one who [really]
loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I
[too] will love him and will show (reveal, manifest) Myself to him.  [I will
let Myself be clearly seen by him and make Myself real to him.]"  John 14:21

"Jesus answered, 'If a person [really] loves Me, he will keep My word [obey
My teaching]; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and
make Our home (abode, special dwelling place) with him'".  John 14:23

"If you keep My commandments [if you continue to obey My instructions],
you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My
Father's commandments and live on in His love."  John 15:10

If we love and keep His commandments: we will come to know Christ Jesus
intimately; both Father and Son will make their home with us; and we will
live on in His love.  Imagine! The Almighty God of all creation, who "so
greatly loved...He gave His only begotten (unique) Son..." {John 3:16}that
we might be reconciled to God and live in an intimate relationship with Him
throughout eternity.

John 15:11-12 goes on to say, "These things I have spoken to you, that
My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full.  This is My
commandment, that you love one another just as I have loved you."

And how did He love us?  Selflessly and beyond measure!  He took all
our sins and paid the sin debt in full; IT IS FINISHED.
"Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children and walk in love, just
as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a
sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."  Ephesians 5:1-2
Jesus gave of Himself unselfishly and we are to walk as He walked.

Since God is love, we know, "We love, because He first loved us." 1Jn 4:19
As we prepare for the celebration of Christmas let us on bended knee give
thanks and praise and glory and love to the only wise God and Savior. Amen