John 14:23-24 – 23Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. 24He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
These two verses have many great things in them. Jesus is talking about the Holy Spirit in this portion of the chapter. I want to concentrate on His words.
It basically says if we love Him, since we all qualify as anyone, we will obey His teaching. What does the opposite of that mean?
Does it mean….if we don’t obey Him…do we love Him?
I worry (and I don’t know this for a fact) that many people are in love with the idea of avoiding hell and inhabiting heaven. Do they love the Real Living Jesus, because Jesus isn’t a personage or God that is whoever you want to make Him out to be? He has standards. They are the same as God the Father’s standards, since they are one.
John 10:30 – 30I and the Father are one.”
So what are these standards? Where are these teachings we need to obey if we really love Him?
They’re in God’s Word which is the Bible.
So if we don’t know the Bible or read the Bible, how can we obey Jesus? If we don’t obey Jesus do we love Him?
Matthew 21:28-32 – 28“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ 29” ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.
30“Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.
31“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they answered.
Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.
Once again many scriptures have multiple messages of gold in them. That’s how God’s Word works and it’s one of the many things that makes it so incredible. I want to concentrate on the obedience in the scripture, because had the elders and chief priests really have known and obeyed God’s Word, Jesus wouldn’t be telling them that the prostitutes and tax collectors were entering ahead of them.
Think about it. Our savior is telling the holy men of that day that the prostitutes and tax collectors that repent and accept Him are entering before they were. That was a serious blow to their egos.
How’s man today on obeying God’s teaching? How’s the church doing regarding God’s teaching?
How are we doing in regards to Loving Jesus? Is there anything more important?
Today is a new day to deny yourself and obey God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. It’s one sure fire way that we can show Jesus we love Him. He’s says so Himself in His teaching. Read it.