Which comes first, our love for Christ or following His commands? We serve because we love Him, but show that love through service.

1 Does not wisdom [the Spirit] call out? Does not understanding raise her voice?

Jesus came to “seek and to save those who are lost.” We were lost, but now we are found. What does our salvation mean personally? Jesus describes it in John 14:15-21,

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 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.”

Let’s squeeze these verses and get the nectar out of them:

1. If you love me- We love Him because He first loved us (also 1 John 4:19).
2. Keep my commands- Jesus’ call on our lives is for us to live righteously. We can only do that if we listen to Him and live like Him. The point of our salvation is to be like Jesus, with Jesus.
3. Another advocate…forever- He’s speaking of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth. He is also mentioned in John 14:26, John 15:26, John 16:7-8, and John 16:13-15.
4. For He lives in you and will be in you- This verse right here makes Christianity what it is. Our personal relationship with the Father is stated and described in these words. Want to know the difference between Christianity and Buddhism? Hinduism? Islam? New Age? Here it is!
5. I will come to you- Lest we think that the Spirit and Jesus are two different people, Jesus superimposes Himself over the Spirit. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ, yet He is a distinct part of the Trinity. WOW!
6. But you will see Me- This statement is both literal and figurative. It is literal in that Jesus revealed Himself to His disciples after the resurrection (see 1 Corinthians 15:4-8 for a list) and it is figurative in that we “see” Him by knowing Him personally in our lives. We “see” Him in Scripture when we read His Word; we hear His voice when He talks to us; we feel His hand on our backs when He urges us on, and we feel His arms around us when we need a hug. I LOVE THIS VERSE!
7. I am in the Father, and you are in me, and I am in you- Folks, it doesn’t get more intimate than that!
8. The one who loves me- The way we show our love for Christ is first by having His commands (in other words, we learn them from His Words: the Bible) and then by keeping them. Aren’t we glad that He doesn’t hold us to the Law as it was before He came?! Instead, He gives us just one new command: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” John 13:34-35.
9. Loved by my Father- We are loved by His Father! Isn’t that great?! In fact, we have been adopted by Him! Jesus also promises that He loves us and will show Himself to us. I live for this promise. How about you?

Today, let’s show Jesus how much we love Him by spending time with Him in prayer, in His Word, and with other Christians sharing and testifying to each other. Then, when He brings someone to us, we can share out of our storehouse all the good things we know about Christ so that they can experience Him, too.

Abba, I love this passage. It tells me who I am in You and that You are with–even in–me. My security is…well, secure. Thank You for being so plain; I need that. May I show You how much I love You be obeying Your commands as You lead me with Your counsel. Amen.