The Power of Loving Obedience
By: David McFadden
Giving Tribute to the Great Men and Women of God
“If you love Me, obey My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. (John 14:15-17 NLT)
No words could express more simply or more powerfully the inconceivably glorious place Christ gives to obedience. I know of no passage in Scripture that gives a higher revelation of the spiritual life, or the power of loving obedience as its one condition. Let us pray to God very earnestly that by His Holy Spirit, its light may transfigure our daily obedience with its heavenly glory.
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in Me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5-6 NLT)
How well we know the parable of the vine! How often and how earnestly we have asked how to be able to abide continually in Christ. We have thought of more study of the Word, more faith, more prayer, more communion with God, another healing conference and we have overlooked the simple truth that Jesus teaches so clearly,
“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love.” (John 15:9-10 NKJV)
For Him as for us, the only way under heaven to abide in divine love is to keep His commandments.
Do let me ask, have you known it, have you heard it preached, have you believed it and proved it true in your experience: obedience on earth is the key to a place in God's love in heaven?
Unless there be some correspondence between God’s whole-hearted love in heaven, and our whole-hearted, loving obedience on earth, Christ cannot manifest Himself to us, God cannot abide in us, we cannot abide in His love.
—Andrew Murray, excerpted and adapted from School of Obedience. All rights reserved.
Taking God’s Word Back to Him
Heavenly Father, thank You that You sent Your Word, Jesus, that gave Your Life to everything that was created, and His Life brought Light to everyone. I receive by faith that Your Word is Light and Life to me. Thank You for the Holy Spirit, who leads me into all truth. Thank You for Your Word that guides me and instructs me so clearly, so simply and so powerfully the inconceivably glorious place Christ gives to obedience. I learned today that obedience on earth is the key to a place in God's love in heaven—what a powerful statement to consider. LORD, I ask this of You; I pray very earnestly that by Your Holy Spirit help me walk in obedience so that its light may transfigure my daily obedience with its heavenly glory. I ask this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from David McFadden’s “Deeper Life Series”.
For more articles from this series go to: https://www.deeperlifeseries.com/devotional-archive
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