To Follow Jesus

by Rocky Fleming

Day Two - Loving Obedience

Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. John 14:23 (ESV)

I find it interesting that Jesus connects our love for Him with our obedience to Him. Which comes first? Before you answer, consider what scripture says. The Apostle John states in 1 John 4:19, “We love because he first loved us.” It is His love for us that teaches us and motivates us to love Him. Then what does He say?

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:34 (ESV)

So, what do we see as we connect the spiritual dots? Jesus wants us to feel His love, for it begins there. Then we are to return our love to Him, for He wants a loving relationship with His followers. Finally, we are to express His love to others through our life, and by this prove that we follow Him.

Now, truthfully, there are some people who we have a hard time loving. But Jesus said following Him would not be easy, and these hard-to-love people prove His words. If we are left up to our feelings, or the fairness of it, or even the darkness that certain people are led by against us as a reason not to love them, then we are not living in obedience to Jesus. We are challenged with a decision to make. Do we love Jesus more than we detest these awful people? If we do not, then we will launch into them with both barrels. We will return fire with fire. We will get down and dirty as they are. We will slander them because they have slandered us.

But, if we love Jesus more than ourselves, more than the insults, more than the hurt or anger, then we will love Him by loving those who persecute us. Impossible? Yes, if left up to our feelings and any rights to ourselves that we still cling to, it will be impossible. However, it will be possible only if we see that our obedience to love them, despite our feelings about them, is a way to worship Jesus. This becomes pure, selfless worship and an unpolluted love for Him. Now which would you rather have? To invite a root of bitterness in your life that the Evil man inspires and promotes, or to respond to the challenge by worshipping Jesus in a way that pleases Him. It’s a choice that we make. I’ll tell you my choice. I choose Jesus, and I will allow His light to shine on the situation. Perhaps He will save difficult persons that are in my life from the clutch of evil? I for sure do not want to hinder it because I don’t love Jesus enough.

In my previous blog about following Jesus, I referenced that Jesus says denying ourselves is necessary. Unless we empty our rights to our name, reputation, and our life, we will not be able to follow Him when darkness comes. For you see darkness inspired by the Evil man looks for vulnerabilities in our life, and then concentrates on that area of our life.

“I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands.”

— Corrie ten Boom

As a disciple of Christ, we will be tested and tempted. Will we stand faithfully when we are? When those things, even the good things that we hold on to, are gripped too hard, then sometimes a painful release is required to put it back where it should remain, which is under the sovereign rights that Jesus has to our life, including those good works. Will we remember that when difficult times come, we have already answered that question with, “Yes, Lord, I am Yours. Do with me as You see fit for Your glory and purpose. I yield my rights to you. Take what You will of me, for Your plans.”

It is in the conditions of denying self and blessing those who persecute us as a way to worship Jesus more deeply that we prove to be His followers. Let us keep following Him and making disciples. Let us allow Almighty God to deal with the evil man’s work against us. Let us remember that people become his pawns in a scheme, and they often don’t realize it. Pray for them, and despite how we feel … let us love them not because they deserve it, but rather because Jesus deserves it.