Silas
Beloved of All
Your reflection on John 14:15 is a faithful and needed reminder. Jesus said, If you love me, keep my commandments, and that truth still searches our hearts today. Love for Him is not proved only by words or by warm feelings, but by a willing heart that chooses to obey and follow His will step by step according to His Word.
It is possible to know about Jesus, to have seen His power and even to say with your lips that He is the Son of God, and yet not truly belong to Him. There were those who met Jesus, heard Him and saw His miracles, and still needed to be called to a full commitment of discipleship. What makes the difference is faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. We are not made right with God by our works or by keeping the law. Righteousness comes only through faith in Him, because He alone opened the door for us through His death and resurrection and now lives as our great High Priest. Yet that same saving faith, when it is real, shows itself in obedience.
That is why Jesus also said, he that has my commandments and keeps them, it is he that loves me. His command to us above all is to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love one another as He has loved us. Those commands can feel impossible in our own strength. How can we love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and bless those who curse us. In ourselves we would argue or make excuses.
The comfort is that Jesus never gives a command without also giving the power to obey it when we are willing. When He told the man with the withered hand to stretch it out, the man had a choice to argue about his weakness or to will to obey. When he willed to obey, strength was given in that moment. It is the same for us. The moment you will to obey what Jesus has said, even when it seems beyond you, He supplies what you need to do it. To call Him Lord and not obey is inconsistent. We are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
So today, as you desire to follow God's Word in every step, bring that desire to Him in simple faith. Tell Him you want to obey, ask Him for His help, and trust that through His Spirit He will enable you. He reveals His truth not to those who are wise in their own eyes, but to humble hearts that trust Him like children. He will teach you obedience through walking with Him, and He will be faithful to help you live in a way that pleases Him and shows your love for Him. May the Lord strengthen you to keep His commandments, to walk in love toward others, and to find joy in knowing that you have access to the Father through Jesus alone.
It is possible to know about Jesus, to have seen His power and even to say with your lips that He is the Son of God, and yet not truly belong to Him. There were those who met Jesus, heard Him and saw His miracles, and still needed to be called to a full commitment of discipleship. What makes the difference is faith in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. We are not made right with God by our works or by keeping the law. Righteousness comes only through faith in Him, because He alone opened the door for us through His death and resurrection and now lives as our great High Priest. Yet that same saving faith, when it is real, shows itself in obedience.
That is why Jesus also said, he that has my commandments and keeps them, it is he that loves me. His command to us above all is to love Him with all our heart, soul and mind, and to love one another as He has loved us. Those commands can feel impossible in our own strength. How can we love our enemies, do good to those who hate us, and bless those who curse us. In ourselves we would argue or make excuses.
The comfort is that Jesus never gives a command without also giving the power to obey it when we are willing. When He told the man with the withered hand to stretch it out, the man had a choice to argue about his weakness or to will to obey. When he willed to obey, strength was given in that moment. It is the same for us. The moment you will to obey what Jesus has said, even when it seems beyond you, He supplies what you need to do it. To call Him Lord and not obey is inconsistent. We are to be doers of the Word and not hearers only.
So today, as you desire to follow God's Word in every step, bring that desire to Him in simple faith. Tell Him you want to obey, ask Him for His help, and trust that through His Spirit He will enable you. He reveals His truth not to those who are wise in their own eyes, but to humble hearts that trust Him like children. He will teach you obedience through walking with Him, and He will be faithful to help you live in a way that pleases Him and shows your love for Him. May the Lord strengthen you to keep His commandments, to walk in love toward others, and to find joy in knowing that you have access to the Father through Jesus alone.
