“If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
John 14:15 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? If you read last week’s post of the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, this verse may look familiar to you. Yes, I used John 14:15 as the focal verse as well. However, if you remember, I used John 14:15 to encourage Christians to have compassion and understanding for new Christians or almost Christians. This week, I will ponder the words in John 14:15 in the way that I normally do with the focal verse. I believe that the entire chapter of John 14 is of Jesus’ talk with his apostles (and maybe some other disciples) about what is going to happen after his crucifixion. Jesus is reassuring his followers that “everything will be okay” in that they will see him again (John 14:3), even if others don’t and they will have a “Comforter” (John 14:16) after he leaves them. I can’t even imagine what Jesus’ disciples were thinking and feeling during this talk. It seemed to confuse His apostles. Thomas (John 14:5) and Philip (John 14:8) both asked questions. I think if I were one of them, I would have thought that Jesus was talking in riddles. He was talking about things in the future that they didn’t understand. Can you imagine being an apostle back then and hearing all of this, not knowing what we know now? Anyway, to me, it seems like John 14:15 is part of an agreement of sorts. Well, maybe more of a testimony of how Jesus and His disciples will be able to realize that they love and care for each other. Before that, Jesus states that He is of the Father and the Father is in him, and that anyone who believes in Jesus, will be able to do greater works than he has done (John 14:11-12). Then, Jesus goes on to say, “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.” (John 14:13-14 KJV) I believe that Jesus was trying to tell his apostles in this conversation, that he loves them. He knew that they didn’t understand what he was telling them and didn’t know what was going to happen. So, he was trying to reassure them. Within this conversation, Jesus tells his apostles what they can do to show their love. In John 14:15 (KJV) Jesus says, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Have you ever loved some people and looked to them that you wanted to do extra well for them? Have you ever felt like if you could just do so fabulously that it would impress one of these loved ones, that he or she would know just how much you love him or her? I have felt that before. It was a childlike and inexperienced thought or feeling. It wasn’t a feeling that love could be bought. It was just a feeling of love and admiration from someone who was young and caring. Maybe the words in John 14:15 could be likened to a close-knit family who wanted to keep up the family honor, so they did good out of respect and love for the family. The driving force for the action is love. As I mentioned in last week’s Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, sometimes when we hear “If you love me, you will ______” it is a manipulation. The driving force isn’t love at all. However, when Jesus says it, we know it is out of love and truth. We know it isn’t out of manipulation or any alternative motive. If we love Jesus, we will obey his commandments. Not out of obedience or law, but out of love. We will trust that he knows what is best for us and will only tell us what is good for us. Jesus will only tell us things that will lead to glorifying God and being with Him eternally. What are your thoughts? How do you show Jesus you love him? Do you obey his commandments? Heavenly Father, Thank you for your infinite love. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus, to be our ultimate role model. Help us to remember that you have our best in mind. Help us to realize that the words in John 14:15 was spoken by Jesus out of love, not out of any sort of alternative motive. Help us to show our love of our Savior, Jesus, be keeping his commandments. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective questions for John 14:15 (KJV): *What does John 14:15 mean to me? *Have I ever felt like I wanted to show someone that I loved him or her by doing something extra special that you think he or she would know your love for him or her? *Have I ever felt manipulated by an “If you love me…” statement? *Do I know that Jesus wasn’t being manipulative with this statement? *Do I show Jesus that I love him by keeping his commandments? *What message is God giving me in John 14:15? *What can I do to better heed the words in John 14:15? Now, it is your turn. Thank you so much for being here. I appreciate your kindness and support. I enjoy sharing God's Word with you. I pray that you use my little tidbits and ponderings to read God's Word for yourself and pray for understanding. I pray it encourages you to reflect upon yourself and do what you can to grow in your faith. God bless. If you find value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with your friends and family. Encourage others to read God's Word and pray for understanding. I also invite you to leave a comment. Give us all something to ponder and about which to pray, so we can learn together. And, if you haven't already done so, please consider to sign up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. Thank you.
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“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
1 John 4:8 (KJV) Hi friends, How are you? Today’s post is about love and knowing God. Before we get into 1 John 4:8, let’s put it in a little perspective. Earlier in the chapter John is warning believers that they may get many people telling them this or that about what to believe or do. However, as Christians, we only want to do and believe as God wills us. In a world full of sin and as many opinions as there are people, it can be difficult in choosing what to believe and how to go. The next question is how can we even know what God’s will is for us if we do not know Him. Even some acquaintances might not know how to take something a family member might say or do. So, we that know the person might say, “Oh he loves me. It is just his way.” When we know the person, we understand their meaning. It is the same with God. We need to know God, which also means knowing His Word, in order to know His will for us. Notice, that I haven’t even used the word “love” yet. Well, that is because I haven’t even gotten to the good part yet. I think it is easier to understand if we take it in bite size pieces, because this verse goes way beyond common words like “love” and “know”. Now, let’s look at the words in 1 John 4:8 (KJV), “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” What does this mean to you? If we take it literally, I think it says that regardless of whether we call ourselves a Christian or not, if we don’t love and act in a loving way towards God, ourselves, or others, then we don’t really know God. To me, it is also saying that we aren’t close to God and aren’t right with God if we don’t have love in our hearts. I think 1 John 4:8 warns us not only about other people who may not be of God, but also calls for us to reflect upon whether we are acting as God wills us. So, when we get advice, we can check it. If there is no love in it, then it definitely is not from God. If we don’t act in a loving way, then we are not acting in God’s behalf towards the world. I think that 1 John 4:8 can be better understood if we take it in the light of Genesis 1:27 (KJV), which says, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.” To me, if we remember that we are created in God’s image, then we will be more apt to be able to discern whether we are acting in accordance with God, because God is love, among other things. Figuratively, we can put a mirror up to a person (including ourselves), as well as what he or she may say or do. If the reflection is a bright sign that says, “love of God”, then he or she (or the message) is of God. If the reflection is just of a plain person or anything less than the “love of God”, then we need to be cautious and discern carefully. Something else I would like to mention about 1 John 4:8 and maybe the most difficult thing; and that is we need to be careful about the definition of “love”. Love isn’t just saying, “I love you.” Love isn’t always a “fuzzy, feel good” feeling. Love isn’t always something that we want to hear. Love doesn’t always agree with us. Love can be stern and admonishing as well. Love is truthful, righteous, disciplining, forgiving, merciful, and compassionate. Love, especially God’s love and God Himself, entails so much more than a love that we humans can even imagine or comprehend. I think that many in the world are confused about love. Our lack of understanding about love is where many fights begin. Some think or say, “If you love me, you will do this.” Then, if the person doesn’t do it, then people think that they are not loved. But, we can’t just dictate whether someone loves us based upon whether or not they do what we want. The yardstick is much different than that. Figuratively, the yardstick is what we see in the mirror. We are called to show the love of God to others. If someone holds a mirror up to us, then figuratively they should see that bright sign that says “love of God”. However, 1 John 4:8 (KJV) says, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.” It is a negative statement. So, we aren’t talking about those who love, but those who don’t love. It is still the same yardstick though. Whether we are reflecting on ourselves or trying to discern whether what someone is telling us is from God or not, we still need to figuratively look in the mirror and look for the “love of God”. If we don’t see it, then the person (including oneself) doesn’t know God. He or she isn’t reflecting God’s love or image. So, we need to beware. Heavenly Father, Thank you for being our Heavenly Father. Thank you for giving us a yardstick in which to discern whether someone knows you. Thank you for your love. Help us to reflect your love to others in all that we do. Help us to discern the reflection of your love or lack thereof in others. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflection questions for 1 John 4:8 (KJV): *What does 1 John 4:8 mean to me? *What does love mean to me? *Do I reflect on whether I love others and reflect God’s love? *Do I hold others and the messages or actions of others up to the mirror to discern whether or not they are of God? *What can I do in order to heed the words in 1 John 4:8 better? *What is God telling me in the words in 1 John 4:8? Now, it is your turn. I am so glad that you are here. I pray that the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations blesses you in some way. For those of you who don't know, I pray before I write it that God gives me the words to write, that they are His words and not my words, that He doesn't allow me to add, subtract, or change anything He asks me to say. I really hope and pray that I stay obedient to that prayer and God's message. In that way, I believe that God is blessing either me and/or one of the readers through the words in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations. Is that person you? Are you being touched or called to do something through the words? And, as always, no matter what my words may be, I encourage you to read God's Word and pray for your personal understanding and message from God. Not only do I appreciate your kindness and support, I also welcome your comments. I hope you will share your godly thoughts and understanding to encourage the rest of us. Thank you. If you are finding value in the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations, please share it with others. Together, let's uplift others and grow the kingdom of God. God bless. P.S. - If you haven't already, please consider signing up below to receive the Faith Blog by DUO Inspirations and other faith content in your inbox. P.P.S. - If you like this post on "love" and "reflecting God's love" and truth, you may also want to read this post. 
“Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.”
James 1:27 (KJV) Hi Friends, How are you today? Last week, I wrote about James 1:26, which was about fake religion. This week, I chose to write about James 1:27, which is about true or pure religion. Do we ever think about the difference between fake religion and pure religion? Do we ever check ourselves and pray as to which we are practicing? It is often thought of that religion means going to church on Sunday. Yet, worshiping is only one part of religion. Going to church is only a small part of pure religion. As we see in James 1:27, pure religion includes loving others, because God loves us. It includes doing things such as visiting and helping orphans, widows, sick, poor, and those who have troubles in some way or another. It includes helping a friend, a neighbor, and even a stranger during difficult times. We all have troubles and it is a religious and Christian thing to help others in whatever way we can. In other words, religion is a lifestyle, not a once a week date at church. It is serving and comforting those in need, not being pious, prim, and proper. Pure religion is serving others with humbleness, not trying to bring all attention to yourself or your deeds. Pure religion is keeping your focus on God and not the various fads of the world. So, it is time to look into our hearts and see which we are doing? Are we participating in fake religion or pure religion? What is in our heart? God knows so we can’t fool Him. We may be fooling others, and ourselves but we can never fool God. For many of us, it may be that we are some where in the middle. That isn’t all that good either. We are to love God with our whole heart. Speaking for myself, I have room for improvement. Do you? Sometimes, I think we get into a routine, where we don’t really think about how we are doing. I think we may go to church or read the Bible or even volunteer at certain events and think we are doing well. Yet, we don’t always take a good look at what we are doing and how well we are following God’s Word and God’s will for us. We think we are doing well, because we aren’t cheating or stealing or breaking any of the commandments of the Old Testament. Yet, are we following the commandment of Jesus? Do we love God with our whole being in all that we do and loving others as ourselves? This is pure religion. Heavenly Father, Thank you for your love and guidance. Thank you for giving us your Word in order to know how we should live and what we should do. Help us to work towards pure religion and not fake religion. Help us to serve you and not to be like those in the world, but those in your kingdom. Help us to love you with our whole heart and whole being and to love others as ourselves. Help us to know that this is what you want for us and from us. Help us to look towards Jesus as our true example and to listen to your Holy Spirit for direction. I ask you this through your Son, Jesus. Amen. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Reflective Questions for James 1:27 (KJV): *What does James 1:27 mean to me? *Do I practice fake religion or pure religion? *Is religion a weekly visit to a church or an every day lifestyle practice for me? *What can I do different to better practice pure religion? *Do I stop and check myself often to make sure I am doing my best to practice pure religion or do I get caught up in the habit without thinking about it? Now, it is your turn! I would like to hear your thoughts and comments. Please, comment below. Also, if you are enjoying this blog, please subscribe to get updated content in your inbox and share this blog with your friends. Thank you.
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Hi friends!
This is Jodi. I am so glad you are here! I am a Christian and life-long learner. I enjoy sharing and encouraging others. I pray you are blessed by this blog. Thank you for being here. Archives
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