[(John 14:21)
“Whoever has my
commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be
loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”]
God is the God who
reveals Himself; He cannot be known or searched by mere study.
And the only ones who
can know Him are those who love Him.
It goes without saying
that only those who know the Lord Jesus are true Christians;
Not all so-called
Christians.
Ergo, only these will
enter the kingdom.
Amen.
BUT HOW CAN A
CHRISTIAN LOVE GOD?
According to the
Written Word of God, the Bible, there are two ways by which a Christian can
show his love for the Lord:
1) To KEEP and obey
His commands
2) To love the
brethren, God’s people, the church
Firstly, only those
who possess and know the commandments of God (God’s children/Christians), which
are communicated through the Bible, can obey them. It simply goes to say that
if you are not spending time in the Word, I seriously doubt if you know what
God commands His children to do.
How, then, can we love
the brethren, thus showing our love for God?
We love God’s people
by sharing our food with our DESERVING brethren who are hungry (not those who
are hungry because they are lazy); by showing hospitality and opening our homes
to them; by giving clothes to brethren who need them; by visiting and taking care
of them when they are sick; by visiting those brethren who are in prison for
their faith.
If we are not doing
these things, even if we claim to be Christians and are performing the outward
ceremonies of religion, sorry to say, but before God we are not.
KEEPS (G5083) tereo: a
watch; to guard (from loss or injury); keeping an eye upon
SHOW: to exhibit (in
person) or disclose (by words): - appear, declare (plainly), inform, (will)
manifest, shew, signify.
++++++++++++
[(John 14:15-24)
15 “If you love me,
keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another
advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world
cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him,
for he lives with you and will be[a] in you. 18 I will not leave you as
orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore,
but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you
will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who
loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself
to them.”
22 Then Judas (not
Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and
not to the world?”
23 Jesus replied,
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we
will come to them and make our home with them. 24 Anyone who does not love me
will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to
the Father who sent me.]
[(Mark 12:30)
Love the Lord your God
with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all
your strength.’]
[(Romans 8:28-29)
And we know that in
all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called
according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many
brothers and sisters.]
[(Ephesians 1:4-5)
For he chose us in him
before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance
with his pleasure and will—]
[(Hebrews 6:10)
God is not unjust; he
will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped
his people and continue to help them.]
[(1 John 5:2-3)
This is how we know
that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not
burdensome,]
[(Matthew 25:31-40)
“When the Son of Man
comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious
throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the
people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He
will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. “Then the King will
say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance,
the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry
and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to
drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed
me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit
me.’ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a
stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see
you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell
you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of
mine, you did for me.’]
