| Whoever has my commands and obeys them … |
| —from John 14:21 |
I have written often on this blog regarding the only requirement that God has given those He has called to Himself. Even though He pours out His mercy, grace, and abiding love on us, and has redeemed us through the shed blood of His one and only Son, Jesus, God only asks one thing of us: obedience. God wants us to obey His will and His written Word. Jesus confirmed this when He told His disciples these words, as found recorded in John 14:21:
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.
In a climate of genuine obedience, love flows freely back to God from those of us He has called to Himself. Before the foundation of the earth, God chose us to belong to Him and to His Kingdom. In due season, God sent His Holy Spirit to reveal to us what His Son, Jesus, has done for us, by paying the penalty for our sins. Once the Holy Spirit gives us the ability to apprehend that truth, the Holy Spirit comes and lives in our hearts and minds.
This new reality for us grants us the privilege of showing God our love through our obedience to His written Word and to His perfect, divine will. We learn to bend our selfish human wills to His perfect will. In so doing, we show God our love for Him. We also experience the benefits of belonging to Him.
As we begin a new day, we need to constantly remain aware of God’s divine Presence in our lives. And, we need to constantly remain aware of the joy we bring to God each time we obediently follow His will, follow His written Word, and follow the pathway He has laid out before us.
