Obedience

This week in the study, "Experiencing God" I am looking at John 14:21 "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

There is so much packed in this passage. It's not just whoever has my commands loves me, it's whoever has my commands AND and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. So I can show that I love Christ by being obediant to Him. This is what I have been striving to do and what I continue doing each day within God's grace. I have found though that when I do obey the commands of Christ to show my love for Him, I sometimes become prideful. I begin to think that I'm loving Christ in obediance in my own power. I couldn't be more WRONG!! I can only live in a love relationship with Christ through obediance because He enables me to. I can only obey because of the courage, strength, and miracles that He provides. Christ enables me to live in obediace by grace that was and is given because of His blood that was shed to cover my sin and incompatance.

He who loves me will also be loved by the Father...through Christ's blood I am able to approach the Father with confidence (Heb. 4:16) because that blood covers my sin. When I am living in a love relationship with the Son, the Father's love also overflows.

...and I too will love Him and show myself to Him. Jesus also loves me when I obey Him and He will continue to reveal Himself to me. Thus the love relationship continues through Jesus' initiative. It is the Father that draws us to Jesus in the first place (John 6:44), and Christ who sustains that relationship by revealing His commands through the Sciptures and through His Holy Spirit (John 14:26). It is Christ who gives me the opportunity to be obediant, Christ who enables me to be obediant, and Christ who blesses that obediance. It's all about Christ, not about me!

If there is any truth in what is written above, it is found in Scripture, not my own wisdom. If God is challenging you in obedience or living in a love relationship with Him, look to Scripture. Pray, ask Him to reveal his commands to you and give you the courage and ability to obey.