March 19, 2007 – How Obedience Relates to Love – John 14:21-24

"He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
Jesus answered and said to 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. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me." John 14:21-24

"The night before Jesus’ crucifixion, He reminded His disciples of the important connection between love and obedience. In John 14:21, Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.” In God’s mind, loving and obeying Him are inseparable. We need to think the same way.

What commands are we called to obey? In the 22^nd chapter of Matthew, Jesus said that the Law and the Prophets depend on two commandments: First, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Second, He commanded, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” When we consistently and thoughtfully study the New Testament, the Holy Spirit tells us how to live out these commands. Every time we follow the Spirit’s instructions, we are saying “I love You” to God. When we release a selfish attitude and place someone else first, when we show forgiveness instead of anger, or when we demonstrate a thankful heart in the midst of difficult circumstances, we ex press affection for the Lord. But if we live in conscious, deliberate disobedience to Him, Jesus says we don’t love Him.

Jesus’ life on Earth was one continuous expression of love for the heavenly Father (John 14:31). Following Christ’s example requires a heart that desires to please Him, an obedient will, and a mind that consistently seeks divine direction. Develop the habit of asking yourself two questions: First, What does obedience to God look like in this situation? And, second, What additional steps can I take to obey God more fully?" by Dr. Charles Stanley

Youch. Not good, Laura. I finally figured out about 2 years ago that obeying God is not usually something that’s black and white obvious in my day to day life. It’s paying attention to the subtleties of my conscience. When I feel slightly guilty about taking an extra cookie. When I get this thought “oh! I need to do my bible study now!” or “I should probably call that person today.” Or when I have a momentary flare of anger, impatience, envy, etc. It is precisely at those times that my character and current state of allegiance is shown. Do I take the extra cookie? Do I go ahead and do my bible study right then or at least do it later that day? Do I call the person or procrastinate until next week? Do I immediately become aware of my sinful emotion and repent to God and the object emoted on, or do I justify it in my brain and wait for my mood to improve? I’ve also learned that when I think of someone (about a conversation we had, about how I’m jealous of them, about how I’m so proud of something they did, or how hurt I was by them), rather than just meditate on the thought, I talk to God about them, praying for them, and asking the Lord to help me love them. I am so nowhere near where I could be with this, but it is a growing progress.

But what also hit me from that scripture tonight is that the one who loves Jesus and obeys his word is the one who God manifests Himself to. Manifest is emphanizo - "to manifest, to show one's self, come to view, appear, be manifest, to indicate, disclose, declare, make known, exhibit to view." So when I obey the Lord, He exhibits himself to me, discloses Himself, appears to me, and makes Himself known! Wow! Mostly I obey because I know God knows what’s best for me, and because I don’t want the consequences of sinning. I also know that it is THE way to show Jesus I love Him. But do I realize that one of the biggest advantages to obeying is that He will manifest Himself to me?!?! If I think about it, it makes sense. I am almost never disappointed when I stop to do my bible study right then, or drink tea instead of eating that cookie, or just get the dang phone call FINALLY checked off my To Do list! Especially when I talk to God or study His Word, I receive a huge blessing because He “talks” to me – a definite manifestation.

So, since I waited again this week to lump my 5 (half-hour-ish) bible studies into 2 nights, I will ask the Lord to show Himself to me as I obey tonight. And I trust that He will because He is faithful.

Thank you Jesus for Your Word. It is better than bread. And Your Love is better than life. Better than 3 McDonald’s cookies or EVEN a grande Starbucks Green Tea Frappacino (which I’m ashamed to say my 3 year old announces when we drive close to the building). Better than sex, better than a warm spring day, better than a million compliments, better than a house full of angelic children. Thank You Lord that Your love is not just lipservice. You tell me how much You love me, but You also SHOW it in so many ways. I pray that I learn to show my love for You as well.