I Chose You And Appointed You

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:12-17

Jesus was approachable – He welcomed little children. He was kind to an adulterous woman in a desperate situation. Compassion motivated Him to teach crowds. At the same time, Jesus’s power was astounding. Heads turned and jaws dropped as He subdued demons, calmed violent storms, and resurrected dead people!

The way we see Jesus determines how we relate to Him. If we focus only on His power, we may treat Him with the detached worship He deserves. Yet, if we overemphasize His kindness, we risk treating Him too casually. The truth is that Jesus is both at once – great enough to deserve our obedience yet humble enough to call us friends.

What we think of Jesus shows in how we relate to Him.

Our Daily Bread – November 11, 2016