If You Love Me
John 14:15-17 (MSG) "If you love me, show it by doing what I've told you. I will talk to the Father, and he'll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can't take him in because it doesn't have eyes to see him, doesn't know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!"
What better way is there to show someone you love them than by doing something for them? When I think about a young teenager interested in dating for the first time, this person will set aside many things just to do something for the one they are interested in. When you love your spouse, you will want to do things for them and if they have asked you to do something, you will be glad to do it. If we love Jesus then we will show our love for Him by doing what He has told us to do in the scriptures.
The top scripture that comes to my mind is "Love your neighbor as yourself." Sounds easy enough but we all know that loving others can be a challenge, especially when they aren't behaving in ways that would indicate they "deserve" to be loved. The ones that are the toughest to love are the very ones God wants us to continue to show kindness to. As we are continually walking in love, their hearts will soften and the root of their behavior may become known. One thing I have learned all too well in recent years is that hurting people, hurt people. If we show hatred and anger in response to someone else's bitterness and resentment, how can we show the love of Christ to this dark and broken world? Our job is not to respond by our feelings, rather, to respond in a way that will glorify our Heavenly Father so our light will continue to shine in the darkness. May we offer our Mighty God much more than just lip service, for He knows the posture of our hearts.
Mark 12:30-31 (AMP) "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul (life), and with all your mind (thought, understanding), and with all your strength. This is the second: 'You shall [unselfishly] love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
