If You Love Me, Keep My Commandments

If ye love me, keep my commandments (John 14:15).

The idea of the love of Jesus Christ has become so distorted, that it makes it necessary to go back to the simple and powerful statement from the Lord Himself, who said, "If you love me, keep my commandments." There is no honest way to interpret this as meaning something other than the obvious fact, that if we're not obeying His commandments we don't love Him. 

In today's strange idea of what love means in the eyes of people naming the name of Christ, it has become something that refers to sentimentality and feelings, rather than obedience.  As long as someone has this nice feeling about Jesus, that has become the definition and meaning of love, rather than obeying all that He has commanded us in the Scriptures.

That's not to say we won't have feelings of appreciation for Jesus. It means if those feelings aren't accompanied by obedience, it isn't love; it's something soulish that has replaced love as defined by Christ.

It also doesn't mean we won't fail at some time and sin. All of us will. The point is we won't have sin as a lifestyle, and when we do sin, we immediately repent and turn away from it. We must confess it to Jesus Christ, and He will forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John. 1:9). 

There is no way we can comply with the command of Christ to subdue the earth if we aren't walking in obedience to His laws and commands. After all, what type of world would be the result of those walking in disobedience? Well, we already have the answer. Just look around you to see.