If You Love Me

"Do you love me?" That's the question asked in so many relationships. We want to know from the person that we are committed to that they are all in for us. Are we being cared for just for the benefit? Are we being cared for just out of obligation? Or are we really loved because we are known, understood, and loved?  We're not the first to have this concern.

"If you love Me, you'll keep my commandments." (John 14:15) These words from Jesus have poked at us for ages, yet many totally miss the extreme important part of what He is saying. What if there were no consequences for sin but you knew God despised it? Would you still do it? Are the consequences of sin the only thing keeping us from sinning or is it because we love Him? Until we love Him, we won't keep His commandments and if we do manage to harness the sin in us rather than purify our hearts (James 4), it will soon turn into destructive little clusters and kill us- from the inside- out.

Most obedience today is all self preservation and has nothing to do with loving Jesus. Peter went all the way to the palace with Jesus; then the time came to die and Peter didn't know Jesus anymore. After Jesus resurrected from the dead, He saw Peter again. He didn't ask him if he had obeyed; He asked him if he loved Him.

This is the issue for all of us who will know Jesus and God who sent Him. Do you love Him? Not what you think He can do for you but, do you know and love HIM?At whatever point we fail Him, it is not necessarily that we don't want to obey; but do we love Him that called us saying, "Come unto Me..." The acid test is when we resist sin, is it to avoid the consequences or because we love Jesus? 

How important is being known? Listen to this free audio on "If You REALLY Knew Me."