John 14:21-24
The one who obeys me is the one who
loves me; and because he loves me, my Father will love him; and I will
too, and I will reveal myself to him.”
Judas (not Judas Iscariot,
but his other disciple with that name) said to him, “Sir, why are you
going to reveal yourself only to us disciples and not to the world at
large?”
Jesus replied, “Because I will only reveal myself to
those who love me and obey me. The Father will love them too, and we
will come to them and live with them. Anyone who doesn’t obey me doesn’t
love me. And remember, I am not making up this answer to your question!
It is the answer given by the Father who sent me.
The
Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
According
to my Facebook page, I have 608 “friends”. If you are one of them,
know that I like you…I really do! In fact, I even love you with the
love of Christ. But I have a handful of friends whom I love
deeply…profoundly…from the depths of my heart. I know them…we share our
joys and our heartaches…and we always have each other’s back. The
fondness and devotion I have for these people goes far beyond a casual
acquaintance on Facebook…or even a fairly regular interaction. We have a
“connection”! Aside from my husband, Greg, these are the people I
think of first when something happens in my life – good or bad. More
importantly, even the mundane, routine details of life are significant
between us.
Now here’s how this relates to John 14:21-24.
There are a lot of people who love God…I mean really love Him…to a
point! There are even more who know Him and say they love Him…but their
idea of “love” between them and God has more to do with God taking care
of them while they do as they please and giving them smooth sailing
than a genuine exchange. And then there are those who are “all
in”…those who seek God from sun-up to sun-down…those who maintain an
almost constant conversation with Him…who love Him, serve Him, and make
Him their constant companion.
These are the folks who pray
first, then act…who ask, “LORD, what do You want me to do with this?” or
“Who do you want me to serve/bless today?” They are the ones who know
without any doubt that God has their back in every situation…and they
rest in this! They wouldn’t think of lying to God, disrespecting Him,
or even ignoring Him. Their relationship with God is like a “treasure”
to them…and they treat it accordingly. And in return, God delights in
these believers.
Take a good look at the people around you. I
recently referenced Robin Roberts’ new book, Everybody’s Got Something.
Roberts says that her mother used to tell her this all the time. But
think about the people you know who “have something” happening in their
lives, yet they seem to still have joy and peace – and things just seem
to work out in their favor. If you look closely enough, I bet you will
find that they have the abiding, obedient “love relationship” with God
that is described in these scripture verses. Because they are so deeply
connected to God, He equips them to handle any circumstance…and blesses
them abundantly in the process.
Can I tell you something? God will do this for you, too. In fact, He wants
to do this for you. God loves you already. He cares deeply about
you. But He wants your devotion and your obedience…and those who show
Him this level of respect and commitment get “the really good stuff”!
Don’t misunderstand me… we cannot buy God’s love, nor our salvation.
There is nothing we can do to “earn our way into heaven”. But if we
want to operate in the fullness of God’s love and blessings, we have to
fully surrender to Him and walk in His will every single day.
It
seems to me like a very small price to pay for such abundance. To
think that I gain not only the full revelation of God’s presence in my
life…but that I secure Jesus and His Holy Spirit in the bargain…is
astounding to me – and something I don’t want to miss! What about you?
Are you willing to commit to God with complete loyalty and obedience?
Are you truly His “friend”…or are you merely an acquaintance? Isn’t it
time you relinquished your will for His? Are you ready for Jesus to
fully reveal Himself in your life? Aren’t you ready for “the really
good stuff”? Will this be the day that you begin?
©2014 Debbie Robus
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