The greatest command is:"YOU SHALL
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL,
AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH." Mark
12:30.
Many Christians will tell you that they love Jesus,
but our lives have to prove it or else it is just empty words. Jesus
said:"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."John
14:15. Jesus further said: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make
Our abode with him. 24“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 14:23,24.
To love Jesus means to obey Him,
His words, His commands that were also recorded in Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. Jesus said that those who do not love him, do not obey
His words. He further promised that he will come and dwell in and
with the one who loves Him. He will make His Spirit, the Holy Spirit,
to dwell in the one who loves Him and therefor obeys Him.
Not only
will the one who loves Him obey His words, but will also obey His
Spirit, will be led by the Holy Spirit. We read in Romans 8:14 "For
all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
They are the children of God. It is thus a requirement for a child of
God to be led by the Holy Spirit and to obey His guidance, then we
will be in Christ, in His love.
In view thereof, let us read the
words of Paul in Romans 8 with understanding: 1Therefore there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of
sin and of death. 3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was
through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the
flesh, 4so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us,
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the
things of the Spirit. 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but
the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set
on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to
the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are
in the flesh cannot please God.
9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the
Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10If Christ is in you, though
the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of
righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.
12So then, brethren, we
are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the
flesh— 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must
die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the
body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God.15For you have not received a spirit of
slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of
adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16The
Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with
Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be
glorified with Him."
By obeying Jesus, we demonstrate our
love for Him. Further, through following the guidance of the Holy
Spirit we fulfill the first commandment, which is LOVING GOD. If we
follow after our flesh, we cannot please God, we cannot do His will,
because we do our own desires, idolizing and serving ourselves.
AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH." Mark
12:30.
Many Christians will tell you that they love Jesus,
but our lives have to prove it or else it is just empty words. Jesus
said:"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."John
14:15. Jesus further said: “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My
word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make
Our abode with him. 24“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 14:23,24.
To love Jesus means to obey Him,
His words, His commands that were also recorded in Matthew, Mark,
Luke and John. Jesus said that those who do not love him, do not obey
His words. He further promised that he will come and dwell in and
with the one who loves Him. He will make His Spirit, the Holy Spirit,
to dwell in the one who loves Him and therefor obeys Him.
Not only
will the one who loves Him obey His words, but will also obey His
Spirit, will be led by the Holy Spirit. We read in Romans 8:14 "For
all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God."
They are the children of God. It is thus a requirement for a child of
God to be led by the Holy Spirit and to obey His guidance, then we
will be in Christ, in His love.
In view thereof, let us read the
words of Paul in Romans 8 with understanding: 1Therefore there is now
no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of
sin and of death. 3For what the Law could not do, weak as it was
through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of
sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the
flesh, 4so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us,
who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the
things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the
things of the Spirit. 6For the mind set on the flesh is death, but
the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, 7because the mind set
on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to
the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8and those who are
in the flesh cannot please God.
9However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the
Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit
of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10If Christ is in you, though
the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of
righteousness. 11But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the
dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.
12So then, brethren, we
are under obligation, not to the flesh, to live according to the
flesh— 13for if you are living according to the flesh, you must
die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the
body, you will live. 14For all who are being led by the Spirit of
God, these are sons of God.15For you have not received a spirit of
slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of
adoption as sons by which we cry out, “Abba! Father!” 16The
Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God,
17and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with
Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be
glorified with Him."
By obeying Jesus, we demonstrate our
love for Him. Further, through following the guidance of the Holy
Spirit we fulfill the first commandment, which is LOVING GOD. If we
follow after our flesh, we cannot please God, we cannot do His will,
because we do our own desires, idolizing and serving ourselves.
The Holy Spirit EMPOWERS us to OVERCOME
our flesh and OBEY the will of God, but we have to make every effort
to obey Him.
We are warned that every branch that does not
bear fruit will get cut off and burned. Without Jesus we can do
nothing. If we are not obeying Jesus and following the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, we cannot bear fruit, and are ready to be cut off
and burned.
our flesh and OBEY the will of God, but we have to make every effort
to obey Him.
We are warned that every branch that does not
bear fruit will get cut off and burned. Without Jesus we can do
nothing. If we are not obeying Jesus and following the guidance of
the Holy Spirit, we cannot bear fruit, and are ready to be cut off
and burned.
Do we really love Jesus? Do we obey
His words and commands? Have we received the Holy Spirit and are we
following His guidance? Are we obedient children of God? Do we really
love Jesus?
May Jesus bless you.
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