Love Worthy

John 15:¹⁶ “You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name” [with emphasis]

Love is a choice; choosing the other person. When you marry someone, loving him or her is a choice. Even the decision to marry your spouse was the result of a choice. When you choose God, you have chosen to follow God. And by saying yes to Jesus, you have said no to the devil. When you said yes to your husband to be, what you were doing in essence, was saying no to the hundreds of thousands that may have been interested in you. Love is a choice and like is characteristic to choices, it is possible to make that choice particularly in marriage and over time, you may wish you had not made that choice.

I remember when we were about five years into marriage, I said to my wife, “Do not pull punches, this is just an open, honest conversation. Would you marry me again if you had to choose? Right now, it is too late but if you had to choose again, would you still marry me?” And she said, “Yes, I would marry you but, I would not have married you when I married you. You made me suffer a lot, because we did not have money for many things.” Husband, appreciate your wife because she chose you against all odds.

When a servant fails, he feels bad because his job is on the line. But when a child fails, he feels bad because he let his father down and it is because he loves his father. Huge difference! The keyword is ‘love’. The son is not worrying about being kicked out of the house. In a normal situation, when a child fails, the child does not worry that his father will send him packing. Did you feel that way when you were growing up? Well, I never did and I did a lot of bad things when I was growing up. Yet there was no single time it even crossed my mind that they were going to send me packing.

The point is this; servants worry about themselves and about their security. Sons worry about pleasing the father and making him happy. Both the son and the servant will make mistakes because they are human. But the servant’s heart will be focused on his own security whereas the son’s heart will be focused on his father’s pleasure.

Prayer: Lord God, You are my Father and I am Your beloved child. Thank You for choosing me and for starting a love relationship with me. I love You Father, in Jesus Name. Amen!