Keeping His Words

Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me” (John 14:23-24).
 
A man named Judas (not Iscariot) serves as spokesman for the group here as Jesus interacts with His disciples in this, one of His parting messages. And Jesus could not have been clearer in His response: we make known our love for the Father and for Jesus by what we do and speak.
 
Claims of love and devotion by themselves are not acceptable, even loud and “showy” ones. If our love for God is not real, it is not pleasing to Him—God has never accepted hypocritical actions from His creation. Rather, we manifest our devotion and love for Him by keeping His words.
 
So, the way we conduct our lives and the attitudes we manifest are highly important. It is not that we do good deeds to be seen of others—we do them to please God. On the other hand, our manner of life should be such that our love for God and for the things pertaining to God naturally show through to those around us.
 
The message of these two verses can make a significant difference in our spiritual acceptability. Such verses as these can serve as a wake-up call if we lend a sincere, listening ear to them.
 
Love,
Joe