VERSIÓN EN ESPAÑOL
A little while ago I asked myself if I truly love Jesus, and I thought about many different ways I could answer this question (teaching the gospel, preaching, etc.). But I decided to pray and ask God to show me exactly what it was to love Jesus. AND HE SHOWED ME! I want to share this with you. I hope that it can be as great a blessing for you as it has been for me.
To begin, let's read John 14 (King James Version)
In verse 15 we find that Jesus says: "If ye love me, keep my commandments". And so I ask myself: ok, what are Jesus' commandments? Are they not the same as the 10 in the Old Testament?
And I discovered that they're not the same ... let's look:
Parenthesis:
Before looking at what Jesus' commandments are, let's analyze and see what it means to "keep". In the dictionary I found these definitions:
1. to guard; protect
2. to conform to; follow; fulfill
3. to observe; pay obedient regard to (a law, rule, promise, etc.)
4. to maintain (some action), esp. in accordance with specific requirements, a promise, etc.
5. to retain in one's possession; hold as one's own
In our case the definitions that work for us are 1, 3 and 5.
And now ... What should we keep?
In Matthew 22:34-40 (NIV), we find the two biggest commandments which were given by Jesus, and they are:
1. Love God with EVERYTHING
This means that God should be our first place in absolutely EVERYTHING and that should make us please him in absolutely everything. So, with our words, actions, thoughts, etc. And everything that doesn't please God is sin.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself.
WOW! Don't forget that your neighbors aren't the members of your church or your immediate family, but everybody that is near you. You might ask, In other words, the homeless man that begs at the street corner, and that unfriendly coworker are my neighbors? And the answer is YES! And we must love them like we love ourselves.
What does this mean?
This means that we must also fill their needs like we fill our own. In other words: food, clothing, attention, care, health, etc.
THIS IS PRETTY BIG, EH?
But it doesn't all end there. If we take a look at verse 12 of chapter 15 of John, we find that Jesus says that the new commandment is LOVE EACH OTHER AS HE LOVED US.
WOW!! THAT IS REALLY BIG!
So do we have to die for them? I believe that verse is clear enough, and it would be too much to begin talking about what Jesus did for us. so I am simply going to leave you with this question: How did Jesus love you?
Jesus didn't say these things so you could admire them, or even so you could twist them and give them your own soft meaning, but rather so that you would fulfill them.
Now I ask you DO YOU THINK YOU LOVE JESUS?
So that you don't get discouraged, I will give you some EXTRA benefits that I found that we can automatically acquire when we keep Jesus' commandments (when we love him).
1. In John 14:21 we find that the first benefit is that we will also be loved by the FATHER, and furthermore JESUS will manifest himself in us. How? With what I am sure you have all been waiting to see since you met God: miracles, prodigies, signs, real experiences, etc. If you want all of that, now you know what you need to do.
2. In John 14:23 we find that Jesus and the Father will dwell in us. Does it grab your attention when you hear someone say you can live in the same condition as God, and have those privileges?! Now you know what to do!!
I know that this is not very deep, but I also know that it is very clear and you cannot add anything to this. When God revealed all of this to me it was very hard and big to see myself in this reality. But I know that everything God shows me is to become better and enjoy those things that he has for me. I hope that you are also able to not only try to love Jesus, but that you can love him truly.
God bless you.
If you have any questions at all, or any enquiries ... leave a comment or write me at vargasfoucher@gmail.com
Check out my other teachings as well and share them!
By Andrés Vargas Translated by Jessica Foucher | |
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