LOVE RESULTS IN OBEDIENCE LEADING TO REVELATION
Whoever has My commandments and keeps them is the one who lovesG25 Me. The one who lovesG25 Me will be lovedG25 by My Father, and I will loveG25 him and reveal Myself to him.
John 14:21 (BSB)
A person can have head knowledge, “know” God’s commandments and not obey them. If we are not demonstrating the heart knowledge as defined by obedience, we are not doing what Jesus commanded. Our obedience is the evidence that we love Jesus. Obedience is the application of understanding applied. We do not obey in order to be clean enough to come to Jesus because that is impossible for imperfect human beings. When we know Jesus, He cleanses us and creates a desire to obey Him in our hearts. When we love and trust Jesus, He places the Holy Spirit within us to enable us to obey Him. Our obedience is a heart action, not words on our lips alone. Since He has changed our hearts from stone to flesh, we are attuned to His will.
I will plant a new heart and new spirit inside of you. I will take out your stubborn, stony heart and give you a willing, tender heart of flesh.
Ezekiel 36:26 (VOICE)
Because Jesus loves us, we can return His love; and, therefore, we have the capacity to love one another. Jesus said that is how people would know that we follow Him. Non-believers recognize that we belong to Jesus when they see us demonstrating His love. Since Jesus loves us, the Father certainly loves us because they are One and the same. Disobedience in a believer’s life cannot undo the fact that he or she is saved—chosen by God. However, it can put a roadblock in our communication with Him. Conversely, the more completely we obey the Lord’s commands, the more clearly He will make Himself and His will known to us. The more we willingly choose to obey, the more the Lord, through our intimate relationship with Him, will reveal more of who He is and how He wants to move in our lives. His purpose for our lives will then be more easily discerned.
If you are seeking a revelation from God, a new direction, an answer to a problem, begin by making sure you are obedient to what He has already shown you in His word, the Bible. Have you completed the last task He revealed to you? Ask the Holy Spirit to point out any areas of disobedience or incomplete obedience in your life. Let your love for the Lord energize your desire to fulfill His will for you. Then trust Him to reveal the next step in the longer journey.
Father, we echo the psalmist’s prayer, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the way everlasting.” Psalm 139:23-24