vv 31-32 Jesus said to the people who believed in him, “You are truly my disciples if you remain faithful to my teachings. And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
It is often easy to set out on a new venture. Some of Jesus’ first disciples would have been experiencing the first flush of enthusiasm in following Him. Now He highlights the need to remain faithful to His teachings – to persevere in the life of discipleship. That is a lot more challenging than setting out in the first place. The initial excitement of something new might carry someone quite a distance in a new venture, but the big question remains ‘Will it last?’ Whether it is the stimulation of a new hobby, the new friendships in a sport, or the freshness of new-found love in a relationship, continuing with it is the challenge. The early Christian disciples in Ephesus found it difficult to persevere with love. A letter to them in Revelation 2 is worth recalling. ‘You have patiently suffered for me without quitting. But I have this complaint against you. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first. ‘ They had patiently endured persecution, but love had waned. Jesus encouraged His disciples to ‘remain faithful to my teachings’ and that included His teaching about love.
Love has to be persevered with in a practical fashion; it cannot be a flash-in-the-pan experience, it has to be built on and continued with through all kinds of setbacks. Love of this kind is costly because it trumps our own selfish plans and desires.
Pray for that quality of love in our own community!
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