Loved!

Loved!

He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. John 14:21 KJV

The Charge:

The world lays emphasis on the power of the memory. The brain is one of man's greatest blessing, because by it, we can process all that our senses perceive, and with our hearts and minds, we can decide to love and follow God. However, it is not enough to just read and commit the words of the Bible to memory, even though that is the start point of any good that a man can do for himself, but the extra is the bit about keeping them. This is where we struggle; where we find it hard to accept or follow the words of God as laid down in the Bible. We want it to be a bit logical and reasonable, because we want it to conform to our own standards. However, if God will be God in our Iives, I have to allow Him and His Word to reign and rule in my life.

It is the keeping of the commandments that proves that I love God. These are not mere suggestions, which I can decide to discount or disobey without consequences, but they are God's rules for everyday life. I can't pick and choose the ones that I am comfortable with, but I must take the whole of His Word, as revealed to me, as His prescription for success in life and ministry. Obedience is the physical evidence of a healthy and thriving relationship with God. God, like any father, loves all He has created, but He has a special place for those who show that they are truly His children by being careful to obey Him at all times. Would this describe me in any way or are there areas where I am struggling to fully commit to total obedience? 

The Conclusion:

Do I need to start paying attention to my daily pursuits and priorities so they can reflect a life that understands the call of God upon it?You would not want to dispense with the love of the Father; no true child of God can. All that I could ever lay my hands on or become is a function of God's love. It was love that drew the plan of salvation that required the Son of God to die a shameful death on a cross. It is this same love that makes Jesus, the glorious One, live in my heart, guiding and directing its affairs. I can't claim to love God and at the same time, reject His Son Jesus. I cannot accept God's love and reject the human manifestation of that love. God has made His love known; I must respond by embracing Jesus. This is the guarantee of eternal life. God's time of favour is here.