“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” John 15:7 KJV
We’ve been looking at the promise of Christ that if we abide in Him, we can receive what we ask for. John 15:10 says we can abide or stay in Him by keeping His commandments.
Being in Christ’s love comes before keeping the commandments! According to Scripture, both are needed, but obedience is purposeless without love, and love is formless without obedience. They belong together, but love comes first.
This makes sense because Christ said love was the greatest commandment of the law, and all the law and the prophets hang on complete love to God and equal love for all humans. It also makes sense that love comes first. It’s much easier to receive love before you’re required to act on it. Also obedience as a response to love is easier than obedience as a requirement to receive love. Additionally, every commandment of the law is about a relationship between us and God or us and other humans.
Naturally God’s law is easier to obey if love is already present. It’s easy to only worship the God you love, or honor the parents you love, or keep alive a friend you love, or maintain marriage to a spouse you love, or not covet the blessings of a neighbor you love. The Ten Commandments are a tangible outward expression of a genuine inner love. Because they are the commandments of Christ’s love, it’s clear why keeping Christ’s commandments keeps us in Christ’s love.
Father, thank you for Your Love and for sharing the love of Christ with us. Forgive us for blocking it and redirecting it to other things. Help us receive it, appreciate it, and stay in it. Amen.
Leave a Reply