John 14:23

 Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them ~ John 14:23


 Jesus had just spoken these words in verse 21, but now He returns them again to the disciple to confirm and explain what He had already said. Anyone, any man, woman, or child that loves Him will keep His commandments. What Jesus is saying is that if we love Him, we will not just speak that we love Him, but that we will obey Him, for it is our obedience which is the proof of our love. This means we will love each other, we will do His will, we will deny ourselves and make Him Lord of our life and heart, we will follow Him through the good and the bad times, through ridicule and opposition. Jesus came for our salvation, and if we cannot love, we cannot be saved! We just cannot fulfill the commandments of Christ without loving Him. The Apostle Paul declared that one might possess all faith and yet find it worthless without love (1 Corinthians 13:2). Faith without love cannot save our soul. Faith with love brings pardon, peace of mind and heart, and the joy of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will then become our living Saviour, alive in our heart, and so will our Father in heaven and the Holy Spirit, daily leading us in sanctification, cleansing our old man and transforming us into His likeness. We will enjoy their presence continually in our heart, as the temple of their dwelling place. Again, Paul said in 1 Corinthians 3:16 we are the temple of God and in 2 Corinthians 6:16 He is the “living God” making His home in our heart.  This is the wonderful grace of God, that He should choose to dwell on earth with our fallen race, but even more so that He should take us and make us His home!

Pastor Julia

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