How to Find Jesus in Love?

In our relationships of love, my friend and I go through stages of growth and experience various sensual experiences. Something goes smoothly for us, and something causes many questions, and not only to each other, but also to God, especially if the friend is of the opposite sex.

And here is the most important question that interests us most. Is there Jesus in our love and friendship? If yes, then how does He manifest Himself, and how do we understand that it is He?

The fact that we feel good in our relationships, and we are happy from this, receiving heavenly pleasure, is not an indicator that this is from God, although it is so. God loves everything beautiful and blesses everything pure. But it may happen that I myself will invent God for myself and decide that He is where I think or feel He should be. And in fact our mutual love for each other brings us genuine happiness, which does not go anywhere and does not cause problems of conscience. And since conscience does not condemn, then probably the Lord is favorable to our relationship. And in these guesses we decided that God is with us, and inspired by this idea, we love each other, telling everyone that this is from God.

And if we are asked to give evidence of God's presence, then we will begin to refer to our feelings and emotions, experiences and intuition, confidence that it cannot be otherwise, because it cannot be. But if such arguments convince our friends, they will not be able to give the correct answer to an inquisitive seeker. Someone may say that we are simply in love with each other and therefore look at everything through "rose-colored glasses."

And if we take into account the fact that close relationships between opposite sexes are considered very dangerous, then instead of trusting our testimonies we will be taken note of and they will carefully monitor what is happening in order to react in time and take appropriate measures if we violate something. And all kinds of stereotypes and those people who see love and friendship in a different light will testify against us and convince us that there can be no friendship between a man and a woman, giving many proofs of the falls of those who decided to test this rule according to the flesh. And they will be right in their own way, because the statistics of falls in this matter are quite high.

But we are interested in the question of whether there is Jesus in our love and friendship? And if yes, then how to determine this?

The first and most important criterion that can give us and others the most correct answer to this question is God's Word. In the Bible it is very clearly written Who is love, whose it is, how God is present in it, how mandatory it is, and that without it I am nothing. Studying God's commandments, I find testimony that to love one another is the direct command of Christ to His disciples, which is the most faithful proof of His presence in our relationships. And this commandment does not divide such relationships by gender.

And if we take into account the fact that Jesus advises to buy love from Him in the last time, then this becomes a very important action.

The second criterion, which also testifies to us about God's presence in our relationships, is the presence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. We will not be able not to bear this fruit if everything in our relationships corresponds to God's rules and is done from a pure heart. Also the Holy Spirit will not bless what is impure and has wrong motives. It is pleasant to God to see the innocence of our hearts in love for one another, because this shows to the whole world that we are disciples of Christ.

Abstaining from everything that is impure is possible where the Lord is present, and where there is a personal and close relationship with Him.

When you ask about relationships between people in Heaven, trying to find out how pure they will be there, then everyone unanimously answers that there everything will be right and blameless. But when you begin to talk about love and friendship in this world, then opinions are divided.

The Lord has made it clear to us that nothing unclean will enter the Heavenly Kingdom. No carnal thinking will inherit the Eternal dwellings. But at the same time God calls us to love one another and brings this command to the rank of a commandment, something that I cannot not observe.

Who in God's eyes is the one who, having the command about love, enough light on this issue, many opportunities to practice such relationships, chooses non-love or indifference? How does Heaven look at such ignorance?

Giving a new commandment about love for one another, Jesus noticed that He was not heard, and He had to repeat this command twice more. Subsequently, the disciples wrote in their epistles about the importance of such a spirit in relationships with people and with each other, and the apostle John left us the deepest narratives about the importance of love. All this made it simply impossible to bypass this commandment.

But the human heart is deceitful, and to give the right motive to my actions, I can say that I do them out of love, and this cannot be verified immediately, and you have to accept everything on faith.

But the spirit of love will necessarily manifest itself in all other cases, because different fruits cannot grow on one tree.

Knowing everything that the Bible says about love, about God's presence in it, it is worth studying these verses and understanding how much they correspond to our experience, how pure our thoughts are in our love and friendship.

It is also worth being honest with God and with each other. It is not excluded that impure thoughts may appear in our friendship. The enemy of the soul will always spread his charms, just to spoil something. And the more the mind of a person was damaged in this direction, the more furious will be the attacks of Satan. The Lord teaches that gold will have to pass through fire to become even purer, so one should not be afraid of this trial. It is only necessary not to allow the carnal spirit to dominate over my will and feelings.

The Lord will never leave those who ask Him for help from above.

The peculiarities of the last period differ from earlier times in that it is precisely the spirit of faith, love and happiness in knowing the truth and God that will help us endure all the trials of our faith and emerge from them as victors. The message to Laodicea very clearly reveals my problem and offers me a solution that makes me a victor. Faith and love are present in what is offered to me to buy from the Faithful Witness.

God abides in our love for one another. This is what the Bible teaches. And knowing this, I try to see Him in our human experiences and relationships. And I see how He permeates everything with Himself, endowing us with unearthly joy and pure thoughts and feelings that so delight the heart that you are constantly amazed that this is possible. It is possible! And should be.

The commandment about love for one another carries a command and promise that this is possible for believers. But it also contains the blessing of this love, which changes our lives and makes everything so beautiful and great that we did not know, delighting our hearts at all times.

And when I possess this blessing, which really enriches and brings no sorrow with it, when I have a solid Biblical foundation for our relationships, when the Holy Spirit is manifested in our friendship, then it is very easy for me to understand from what Source all this proceeds.

1. Please read: 1 John 4:16; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2:7; 4:8; John 13:34-35; 15:8-13,17-18; 1 John 3:1,11,21-24; 4:7-13,17-21; John 14:15; Prov. 10:12,22; 15:17; Song 2:7; 8:7; Matt. 24:12; 2 Pet. 1:5-7; Rom. 5:5; 12:9-10; 13:10; 1 Cor. 16:14 in light of this topic.

2. What did you understand from this topic?

3. What other verses from the Bible came to your mind?

4. Is it important to know that God abides in our love for one another?

5. Why did the Lord choose precisely love and commanded us to love one another?

6. To love one another—what is this?

7. If you do not yet have a friend for love, do you have plans for this?

8. To love one another—is this possible in our time?

9. What role does love play in the last time?

10. Is it necessary to invite God into your relationships of love for one another, or does He come automatically?

11. What should we do if we read in the Bible that God abides in love, but do not feel this in reality?

12. How to understand whether the Lord is in our relationships?

13. How to determine whether we bear the fruit of the Spirit in our love for one another? Gal. 5:22-23.

14. What should we do if we see God in our relationships, but others do not believe us and consider us sinners?

15. Do you think your words of love spoken to your friend bring joy and blessing?