Evidence Of Love

Evidence of Love

Read: John 14:28-31

“I love the Father and . . . do exactly what my Father has commanded me.”

John 14:31

“Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere and supreme love to Him.”

—Nathanael Emmons

IN WORD In John 8, Jesus had one of His many confrontations with the Pharisees. During the argument, these religious leaders appealed to their authority as Abraham’s children. No, Jesus told them; they were Abraham’s descendants, but not his children. Then the Pharisees appealed to their status as God’s children. No again, Jesus told them; they would get along with Him well if they were God’s children. They didn’t get the point; He would have to spell it out for them. “You belong to your father, the devil,” He said (v. 44). It was the most offensive thing He could have said to them. Why was He so blunt? Because they were blind to this truth: Those who love God do what God says.

Jesus’ statement in John 14:31 about doing exactly as the Father commands should not be foreign to us. Can we say the same thing? We’re not sinless as He was, so we can’t claim to have loved God perfectly. But we can make that our guiding principle, can’t we? We absolutely must realize the connection between love and obedience. They were perfectly combined in Jesus; they can be increasingly combined in us.

IN DEED Many Christians get caught in an inconsistency between their words and their lives. It’s quite common. We say we love God, but we fail repeatedly in our obedience, usually in one or two areas in particular. We have secret sins, nagging habits, persistent character flaws that we just do not want to let go of. We know this, and we know God’s desire for us to leave those things behind. But we don’t; it’s too hard. That’s when we need to ask ourselves a deep question: Do I really love Him? That’s the issue, isn’t it? If we loved Him more than that habit, sin, or character flaw, we would have victory. We pursue the things we love most. If we hang on to our hidden faults, don’t we love them more?

Jesus often used “love” and “obey” in the same sentence. It isn’t a coincidence. It’s a challenge. Search your soul. Decide whom you love, and obey Him with all your heart.