AUG 29

John 15:10
Memorise John 15:10
“…I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love”

One of the major problems with the Pharisees was that they emphasized keeping of the Law, without abiding in the true Vine which is Christ. One can never be saved by trying to keep the Law perfectly because we will always fall short. The Christian knows he must abide in Christ who has kept the Law perfectly on our behalf. Not only is salvation only in Christ Jesus, but also we can live abundant lives here on earth only by abiding in Christ. We are weak vessels, but in the omnipotent hands of our divine Potter, we can be used to glorify Him. One of the divine promises that should encourage us weak vessels is that Christ loves us, and He told the disciples in John 15:10 “If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.” The Father loves Christ, and Christ in return loves the Father and will keep His commandments. Likewise Christ loves us so much that He gave Himself for us, and in return we keep His commandments compelled by love. Remember, this love that Christ has for His Father compelled Jesus to obey His Father perfectly; although in this mortal body on earth we can never keep God’s commandments perfectly, the more we love Him for what He did for us, the more we will endeavour to obey His every commandment.

A person in love with another will find out everything the other person desires and will strive to fulfill them; nothing will be too difficult to fulfill if one truly loves this person! If you truly love God, you would naturally want to do all you can to obey Him and keep His commandments! The key towards true obedience would be to study God’s Word to find out more about what He desires. This is where your love will be both tested and strengthened; as you study His Word you will discover more areas of your life that fall short of His commandments. At the same time you will discover more of how deeply Christ loves us and thus your love for Him will abound all the more to compel you to obey Him in these areas you fall short, rather than despair that the Christian life is so difficult. Obedience and love go hand in hand. Please do not delude yourself by saying you love God with all your heart and yet find excuses not to obey His every command.

Thought: Is my love for Christ growing or dying?
Prayer: May my love for Thee grow more and more each day.