John 14:21

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21 ESV). Do you know what his commandments are and how many there are? According to the Institute in Basic Life Principles, there are 49 of them and they are listed at link given. How many of them do you make a practice of obeying? According to our verse, the one who knows them and keeps them is the one who loves the Lord. How is one able to keep them? If we look back to verse 16, we have the promise of being given the Spirit of truth as our helper: “[This] Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you” (John 14:26 ESV). He will teach us about them, remind us to obey them and as a Helper, he will help us live them out.

The emphasis, so far, has been on obedience indicating love, but in reality it is possible to obey and not love. Think of slaves or even children who are forced to obey but don’t love back. A religious person may discipline themselves to obey as a form of work. However, if we look at verse 23, we see a reverse emphasis: “Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.”” (John 14:23 ESV). It is to be out of love for all that God has done and provided for us that we obey his commands and as we do those who observe us will know that we love the Lord. As we love Jesus and keep his commandments, his words of instruction, he will manifest or reveal himself to us and provide us with his peace that cannot be found in the world.

Prayer

Father, as I study the Scriptures in writing these lessons, the more excited I become and greater is my desire and love for you. I have been here on assignment for many years and I feel a growing longing to be home with you and family. Father, in the days I have left I pray that through the Holy Spirit, the Lord will guide me in what to write and those who read from countries around the world will be encouraged and in some small way have a closer walk with the Lord. I pray for my readers who experience so many different things in life because of where they live in the world. I pray for their encouragement, for strength, for protection, and in some cases, basic humanitarian needs. Forgive their sins where needed; fill their hearts with your love; bless them and show them mercy.