Love is choosing & doing what is right according to God’s Word, NOT deciding what is right based on how you feel!!!
We are continuing our look into the biblical meaning of love. Our previous Scripturewise posts addressed feelings, acceptance, and truth:
[Click the titles to read past posts.]
Today we’re going to look at a word people tend not to associate with love: OBEY.
Jesus is the One who is clear on the connection between love and obedience! Read this:
“If you love Me, obey My commandments.”
John 14:15 (NLT)
[Click John 14 to read the entire chapter in NLT and ESV.]
Does that make sense?
If love is merely a feeling, or simply accepting another person’s wants or feelings so as not to hurt their feelings, then Jesus’ words about love frankly make zero sense.
“If you have warm, fuzzy feelings for Me, then you’ll do what I say”? Jesus, this can’t be what You mean.
“Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me.”
John 14:21 (NLT)
Jesus, why are You using words like “obey” and “commandments” when You are talking about love?
[Click John 14 to read the entire chapter in NLT and ESV.]
Love = Obey
“All who love Me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and We will come and make Our home with each of them.”
John 14:23 (NLT)
Jesus, “do what I say” is just like “obey My commandments.” This is the third time in this chapter You’ve said basically the same thing — but what does love have to do with following orders?!?
“Anyone who doesn’t love Me will not obey Me. And remember My words are not My own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent Me.”
John 14:24 (NLT)
If these are not Your own words, Jesus, does that mean God tells You what to do, too?
[Click John 14 to read the entire chapter in NLT and ESV.]
Obeying God > Food
“My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent Me, and from finishing His work.”
John 4:34 (NLT)
And in the ESV,
“My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work.”
John 4:34 (ESV)
You may be tempted to say, “But Jesus is Jesus — He probably didn’t get hungry like I do.”
“For forty days and forty nights He (Jesus) fasted and became very hungry.”
Matthew 4:2 (NLT)
“In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, He was hungry…”
Matthew 21:18 (NLT)
Doing what God wanted Him to do was more important to Jesus than food. That’s real love!
But this is mind-blowing love…
Mind-blowing Love through Obedience
“Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and He said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and He became anguished and distressed. 38He told them, ‘My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with Me.’
39He went on a little farther and bowed with His face to the ground, praying, ‘My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from Me. Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.'”
Matthew 26:36-39 (NLT)
Whoa!
40“Then He returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, ‘Couldn’t you watch with Me even one hour? 41Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!’
42Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, ‘My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, Your will be done.’ 43When He returned to them again, He found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44So He went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45Then He came to the disciples and said, ‘Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46Up, let’s be going. Look, My betrayer is here!'”
Matthew 26:40-46 (NLT)
Oh, the feelings!
Jesus was headed for the cross, and He knew it. He was about to be betrayed by one of His closest friends, then abandoned by the rest. And He didn’t feel like doing it!
He was:
- anguished,
- distressed, and
- crushed with grief to the point of death!
Jesus prayed that God would find some other way to accomplish His will,
“Yet I want Your will to be done, not Mine.”
Matthew 26:39 (NLT)
Sinless, innocent, perfect Jesus not only did not deserve to pay for the sins of the whole world, He did not have to do it! He’s the Son of God. He could have said, “No.”
Still in Control
After He was arrested and abused and falsely accused, He stood before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor who thought he held Jesus’ fate in his hands.
“He (Pilate) took Jesus back into the headquarters again and asked Him, ‘Where are You from?’ But Jesus gave no answer. 10‘Why don’t You talk to me?’ Pilate demanded. ‘Don’t You realize that I have the power to release You or crucify You?’
11Then Jesus said, ‘You would have no power over Me at all unless it were given to you from above…'”
John 19:9-11 (NLT)
God was in control. And Jesus could have said “no.” But He said “yes” to the Father, and the Father provided His One & Only Son as the sacrifice for sin, yours & mine.
No Greater Love
“For God so loved the world,
John 3:16
that He gave His One & Only Son,
that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”
I John 3:16 (NIV)
That same Jesus says,
“Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. 14You are My friends if you do what I command. 15I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.”
John 15:13-15 (NIV)
We are His friends if we do what He commands!
Jesus showed the greatest love by obeying the Father.
We can show our love for Jesus by obeying the Son.
[Scroll down for today’s prayer.]
My Prayer for You Today:
“Now may the God of peace—
Hebrews 13:20-21 (NLT)
who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus,
the great Shepherd of the sheep,
and ratified an eternal covenant with His blood—
21may He equip you with all you need
for doing His will.
May He produce in you,
through the power of Jesus Christ,
every good thing that is pleasing to Him.
All glory to Him forever and ever! Amen.”
Love is obeying Jesus.
unpostedlife.com
YOU ARE AMAZING!👍I WAS HOPING YOU CAN MAKE A 👨👩👧👦 FAMILY POST FROM YOUR DAUGHTER👩❤👧
Love that idea, Belle-Belle. 😉