ESOCS Devotional 12 June 2024 – Show Your Love For Jesus
MEMORY VERSE: “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”John 14:15
TEXT: JOHN 14:12-31
12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments. 16 And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. 18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
19 “A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. 20 At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home 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.
25 “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. 28 You have heard Me say to you, ‘I am going away and coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice because I said, ‘I am going to the Father,’ for My Father is greater than I.
29 “And now I have told you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe. 30 I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. 31 But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do. Arise, let us go from here.
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It is very easy to claim we love Jesus Christ; we can sing about it in services, at home and in the company of others, talk about it in a chat with others and in church services. This is because it has become the fashionable thing to do. It sounds interesting from our mouths. It makes us appear spiritual, appealing and acceptable. However, we must realise that God has already set His standard as regards love for Him. Speaking about this standard, Lord Jesus Christ said, “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Therefore, to show our love for God and His Christ can only satisfy one standard, that of our obedience to Him.
Beloved, it takes faith to belong to God and it also takes faith to please God. Therefore, to show our love for God it must be an obedience of faith (Romans 16:25-27).
This means that we must totally submit by faith to the gospel message preached to us through the conviction of our hearts. This is not necessarily the struggle to do what Jesus has already accomplished for us by love and grace. We are not asked to stop lying and all the things in the law so we can become righteous before God; that may be true for Old Testament Israel. No, not for us! Jesus has already fulfilled the law for us and through His death redeemed us from the punishment of sin and by His resurrection made us righteous before God.
Therefore, obedience of faith means we have to believe in Jesus Christ and what He has done for us already. That is, we believe He has made us righteous already in Him. Question; if you are righteous, are you trying to become one? No! If you are righteous, are you still a sinner and still live in sin? No! If you are a believer in Christ Jesus, you should know that you were created in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesians 4:24). All you need to do is be convinced by this truth and submit your entire being to it. And the righteousness of God in you will come out as you give yourself to the study of the word of God, prayer and confession of your salvation in Christ Jesus always; and then, endeavour to maintain the righteousness Christ has given you through grace by resisting sin and living a holy lifestyle (Titus 3:8).
See examples of faith confession: “Thank God I am saved in Christ Jesus”. “I am a new creation in Christ Jesus filled with God’s Life and righteousness”. “I am filled with the Holy Spirit.” “I have the life of God in me”. “Thank You Lord God for a new life of righteousness in Christ and that is the life I live.” Then the life you live in holiness will now speak for itself and show the world how much you love JESUS!
- Show your love for Jesus Christ through the demonstration of your faith in His work of salvation in you.
- Father, thank you for your love and gift of the righteousness of Christ to me. I live in righteousness and holiness.
Further Reading: Isaiah 61:1-7; Zechariah 4:1-10; Romans 9:14-29
ESOCS Devotional 12 June 2024
