“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

Jesus tells us, if you love me, you will obey, you will keep my commandments.

A few things about obedience. First, the only time obedience comes into play in our relationship with Jesus is when what I want to do is in contradiction with what Jesus calls me to do. All the other times obedience is not needed because that’s what I would have done anyway. It’s when everything in my being wants to do one thing and Jesus commands me something different that obedience comes into play.

Second, obedience to God is always possible. That God calls us to obey, and that obedience is a choice means that obedience is always possible. It all depends on you. It all depends on me. It depends on the choice we make.

Finally, when we disobey it means that we chose disobedience. Disobedience is a willful and intentional decision on our part. We – who know that God knows best, who know that God only wants what is best for us – tell this God to shove it and we do our own thing. It’s a deliberate and willful rejection of God. This is straight out betrayal. This is why disobedience is so devastating.

That’s why Jesus ties obedience to love. If you love Jesus, you obey Jesus.

It is a dreadful error to fall into the thinking that because you have such feelings that you can do nothing but to act on your feelings. Our feelings will lead to destruction and devastation.

God knows best. God wants only what is best for us. Trust him. Obey

There are three things satan hates:

• A praising church
• A praying church
• A church where God’s word is the authority

satan hates these because there is nothing the satan can do against such a church. satan’s lies have no room in such a church.

A praising church – when you are praising and worshiping God, it is impossible to be ungrateful. When you are focused on all that God has already done for us in Jesus, everything we encounter pales in comparison. The more we praise and worship God, the more we come to realize that our God is WORTHY of worship and praise.

A praying church – a church that prays stands in the gap between the world as it is and the world as God intends it to be. Few things scare satan more than a church that will stand in that gap declaring God’s promises for this world. A church who prays is a church who commits to God’s Kingdom plan for this world. The more we pray, the more we find ourselves invested in God’s Kingdom.

A church where God’s word is the authority – now, that’s a church where the lies of the devil have no room or opportunity to penetrate. The devil’s lies cannot find a foothold in a church where God’s word rules. When a church commits to God’s authority in his word, and commits to doing what God says simply because God said it, the devil has no footing. God’s church grows where God’s word flows.

“Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” (Matthew 5:16).

It is not the job of the church to change the world. The church does not have that kind of power. God never asked the church to change the world. That has never been our calling.

What God does call the church to be the world that has already been changed by Christ. God calls the church to be a changed community. That is our calling.

And when the church lives that calling out – when the church demonstrates a world that has been changed by Christ:

• No longer dominated by worldly philosophies, political ideologies
• No longer ruled by consumerism and materialism
• No longer shaded by prejudice
• A world where all sinners are welcome to receive God’s grace and be transformed by God’s love
• A world where God’s children take care of one another’s needs
• A world where burdens are shared by others
• A world where love, grace, forgiveness are the rule
• A world where people live for the glory of God by giving and serving God’s church and God’s people

When the church lives that calling out, the church sticks out like a sore thumb in a world of hurt and pain. And when the church lives like that, God’s light will so shine that others cannot help but be drawn to and end up glorifying the Father in heaven.

Wow! What a world that would be.