Thank You, Lord, for loving us so we can love You.
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Jn 14:15 ESV
So when I first read this verse decades ago, I read it like this: “If you love Me, you will KEEP My commandments.” At first glance, this seems right, but the problem is the emphasis is on ME keeping His commandments, and all in my own strength too. This way of looking at this wonderful verse puts all the pressure on MY shoulders to obey. Because I do love Him, “I” have to work hard at making sure “I” do the right things and stop doing the wrong ones, and follow this rule and comply with that order and so on and so on it goes. This can be exhausting! I only have so much energy. I only know what I know. I only can go so far before collapsing under the weight of this concept. Sadly, too many well meaning people attempt to live out the “Christian life” this way, and then they say things like, “The Christian life doesn’t work.” Well, that’s because we are going at it all wrong.
Thankfully, the Lord quickly corrected me and said, “Read it again, Child, but this time emphasize the word ‘will’.” So I read it again, and this is what I heard: “If you love me, you WILL keep my commandments.” See the difference? Now the emphasis was on my love for Jesus and my desire to please Him, instead of on what I could do, or not do! If I love Him, then keeping His commandments should flow from this love. Because I do love Him, I will connect with Jesus, and He will help me keep His commandments. No more living on my own, striving to get things right, because the pressure is NOT on my tiny shoulders! No. Now I could lean on Jesus and He will lead the way.
Join me in memorizing 52 verses this year:
January: 1- Jn 3:16; 2- 2Co 5:17; 3- Jas 2:26; 4- Eph 2:10
February: 5- Jn 10:10; 6- Ro 6:23; 7- Rev 21:4; 8- Php 4:13
March: 9- 1Pe 5:7; 10- Jn 8:32; 11- Dt 30:19; 12- Jn 3:30; 13- 2Chron 20:3
April: 14- 2Chron 20:12; 15- 2Chron 20:15b; 16- 2Chron 20:17
May: 17- Ro 8:28; 18- 1Co 13:13; 19- Php 2:12; 20- Mt 5:4
June: 21- Lk 23:42; 22- Jas 4:7; 23- Pr 22:6; 24- Mt 5:3; 25- Jn 14:6
26- Jas 2:19
27- Dt 31:8
28- Jn 14:15
<>< Peace, Diane
