It was his last day before his death. He knew it very well. On that night he was going to be arrested then judged and finally crucified next day morning. Knowing His time on earth was running out Jesus took his disciples for a private dinner together. Jesus knew one practical question that will arise from his followers would be how to follow his teachings. The teachings of Jesus were tougher than any other religious principles. He taught his followers to be peacemakers, humble in heart, forgive those who hurt them and love their enemies. Jesus said looking at another woman with lustful eyes is equivalent to committing adultery. The path to Heaven is narrow. How is it possible for anyone to follow Jesus and His teachings? On that final night, while having dinner together along with disciples, Jesus said, anyone who does not love me will not obey my teachings.
Loving and Obeying
Dear friend, what is the connection between loving and obeying? We can make our children obey in two ways. Either by forcing them to do or lovingly explaining why the children should do what we are asking them to do and what value it will add to their lives. The first approach has a higher percentage of success since it involves punishment and consequences for the child. In the second approach, our children may not get convinced with what we are suggesting and they may or may not follow what we are asking them to do. God does not want to force us. He tells us what is good for us in a loving way. He expects us to follow them not by force but by love. We have a choice to disobey God. But if we love God, his commandments will be easier to follow. But the question is how do I love God I don’t see? God is a person with a personality. A relationship with any person involves knowing and understanding the person. Bible is a glorious book where the personality and attributes of God are beautifully revealed. God never kept himself a secret or an unsolved puzzle. Bible says taste and see that the Lord is Good. As we grow our relationship with God day by day, we come to know Him and love Him more and more.
My dear friend, you may be a Christian for generations or a new believer in Christ, as Jesus said we can not follow the teachings Christ if we do not love Him.
Two Kinds of Love
If we say we love Jesus, do we love Jesus because we like Him or we like the blessings Jesus gives? There was this great man called Job. He was a rich man and loved God dearly. The Bible depicts the conversation between God and satan. Satan said Job’s love for God is based on the materialistic blessing God had given him. Hence God allowed satan to remove his material blessing to test if Job would still love Him. But Job’s love for God never ceased even though he lost everything. At times we too go through tough times in life. We lose our health or wealth or our situation becomes sour. That does not mean God does not love us.
Jesus loved us first. He died for us to forgive us from our past mistakes. Bible says God so loved us, he gave his one and only son. Yes, dear friend. God loved us more than his son. He cared for us. Hence He wanted to provide a way for us to reach heaven. God sent His son Jesus to die on the cross so that all of our mistakes can be forgiven. We love God because of His supreme sacrifice and we thank & praise God for his blessing. Bible says Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
The great man Paul wrote, “For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Bible says Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. This is God’s greatest expectation from all of us in return for His love. Shall we pray together?
Dear God, I found the reason why I find it difficult to follow your teaching. I am not loving you enough. I often come to you only for my needs and for blessings. Help me to love you more and be thankful for all the blessings you have given me. You have done a supreme sacrifice by dying on the cross for my mistakes. I have done so many wrong things in my life. Thank you for forgiving my past. Thank you, Jesus, for all you have done for me. Thank you for your love. I love you for all you have done for me in spite of my weaknesses and my needs. You know my needs and I believe in faith you will fulfill all them very soon. I continue to put my hope on you. In Jesus's name, I pray.
Dear Friend, Jesus wants to make you His own child. Ask for forgiveness for your past life. Jesus will forgive you. He will renew your life and lead you like a father lead His own child. Please humble you heart and pray to Jesus. If you want to know how you can become a child of Jesus, you can read here =>
We are praying for you. Jesus will surely bring peace and joy in your life. He will release you from all your problems. May God bless you and make you a blessing for many.
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