TODAY’S SIGNATURE VERSE ••• But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. (John 14:31a ESV)
PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• In John 14, we find Jesus speaking to the disciples about the Holy Spirit coming soon… and He reminded them that He wouldn’t be there much longer. In verse 31a, Jesus said, “but I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.”
This verse really gave me pause for thought when I read it. We know Jesus was the only sinless person who ever lived, and perfect obedience was something He had mastered. But His words… “I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father.”
Do I do that? Do I do all that I’m commanded to do? What is He commanding that I do? And does the world know that I love God?
If we back up to chapter 13, Jesus had just given a new commandment: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another” (John 13:34). This commandment brilliantly encapsulates every other commandment in the Ten Commandments.
Then, if we go to chapter 15, Jesus said, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. You are my friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:12,14).
So when we love others as Jesus loves, we are in obedience to God, just as Jesus was in obedience. Because the important thing to note is what Jesus DIDN’T say… He didn’t put any exclusions on that commandment. There is no fine print that says anything about the criteria or exceptions for those He told us to love. He said to love others. Period.
I am an administrator for a Facebook group for one of my client’s employees. Last night, one of the employees wrote a post about a customer he had just helped. And in his post, he said, “So I know there’s a lot of Christians in this group … please lift your hands up and say a prayer for this baby.”
I don’t know this man and I don’t know his heart or soul-condition. But that’s not the point. The point goes back to the signature verse today. The world is watching. This man knows he works with professing Christians. And he asked the believers in the group to pray. To show compassion. To love. To love as Jesus loves.
The world is watching. Am I showing them the love of Christ? Are you?
Today, as you pray, thank Jesus for His commandment. Thank Him that He loves us all—no matter how messed up we are or how much we mess up. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you love the way Jesus commanded. Ask Him to give you eyes that see others through the filter of Jesus’ love, compassion, and mercy.
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