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John 14 - Devotion · The Five Minute Bible Podcast

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  Welcome to Five Minute Bible in our journey through the New
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  Testament. In each episode, we take just a
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  few minutes to focus on one chapter of the New Testament,
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  exploring the truths God is teaching us through His Word and
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  expanding our view of who He is. Before you listen, make sure
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  you've gone straight to the source, either by reading
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  today's chapter of the Bible yourself or listening to today's
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  read along episode in this podcast feed.
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  If you haven't done that yet, feel free to pause and do that
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  now. When you're ready, let's dive
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  into God's Word together. In John chapter 14, Jesus
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  continues his upper Room discourse with his disciples.
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  He tells them that He is going away to prepare a place for
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  them. He tells them that He is the
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  way, the truth, and the life, and that no one comes to the
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  Father except through Him. He speaks to them of his unity
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  with the Father, saying that if we know him, we will know the
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  Father also. Finally, he tells the disciples
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  about the Holy Spirit, the Helper, coming in Jesus name to
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  teach Jesus disciples and cause them to remember all that Jesus
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  taught. There's so much powerful truth
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  packed into this chapter and it includes some of the most
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  profound teaching on the Trinity that our God is 3 Persons,
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  Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. But where I want us to spend our
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  time today is in one short, rather stand alone verse.
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  Verse 15. Listen to what Jesus tells his
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  disciples. If you love me, you will keep my
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  commandments. That simple.
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  If we love Jesus, we'll keep his commandments.
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  But wrapped up in the short verse is the fundamental truth
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  that love is revealed not primarily by our words or our
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  emotions, but by our actions. And in particular, our love for
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  God will be revealed not primarily by our feelings toward
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  him or what we say about him, but by whether or not we obey
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  his commands. Because if Jesus really is who
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  he says he is, one with the Father, the Son of God, the
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  perfect Lamb of God, the Savior of the world, and we really
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  acknowledge him as that and give him our honor and our loyalty
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  and our love, then we must obey him.
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  That's our only option. That is what he's worthy of, and
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  that is the only proper demonstration of genuine love
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  and loyalty to Him. And what this means is that the
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  easiest and most definitive way to test whether or not we are
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  genuinely loving Christ, the check engine light on our love,
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  so to speak, is whether or not we are joyfully obeying his
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  commandments. Because as Jesus tells us in the
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  passage, if you love me, you'll keep my commandments.
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  Do not rely on your feelings here.
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  Do not settle for an emotional affection for Jesus.
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  Real love acts and real love for Christ obeys Christ.
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  And when the feelings aren't there and you can't muster up
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  the desire to love Jesus, obey Him anyway and your feelings
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  will follow. Start with yes.
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  Start with a physical act of acknowledgement that He is your
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  Lord and His ways are best. And as you walk out that
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  obedience, God will grow in you a heart of love and zeal and
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  passion for Christ. So why don't you take a few
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  minutes today and examine your love?
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  Not the warm fuzzy feelings, but look at your life and ask
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  yourself, am I submitting to Christ?
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  Am I obeying his commandments? And if the answer is no, it's
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  not too late to turn around, repent, change direction, give
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  Him your obedience, and give him your love.