LOVE IS OBEDIENCE

 

LOVE IS OBEDIENCE

John 14:23-24 Jesus replied, "All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn't love me will not do what I say. And remember, my words are not my own. This message is from the Father who sent me." NLT

You can say you love the Lord all you want, but if you don't obey Him, your words are nothing but hot air. If you obey the Lord, you will be loved by our Father in heaven and He will dwell within your heart.

God is love and He loves all, but He does not dwell with all. There is a difference in how God interacts with us when He lives in our souls. There is a kinship that those who don't have a relationship with Him can never know. There is a depth of love that the world can only dream about. There is understanding of God and life that is withheld from those who do not have Christ in them. Notice Jesus says WE will come and live with them. God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit all dwell with those who are His.

It's not very hard to tell who does and does not love the Lord. Those who do what Jesus says live differently than those who don't. They do not participate in what the world participates in. They talk differently and act differently. When they speak of the Lord it's in words of respect and endearment and not disrespectfully and with disdain.

Jesus made it clear that what He said is from God and not His own words. Jesus never spoke out of turn. He always spoke God's mind and heart, for He is God. He who loves God loves Jesus and He who loves Jesus loves God. He who loves Jesus does what He says. If you don’t do what He says, you do not love Him, no matter how much you vow you do.