1 00:00:02,759 --> 00:00:06,720 Speaker 1: Life Audio. For more resources to help you in your 2 00:00:06,800 --> 00:00:12,320 Speaker 1: walk with Christ, please visit us at Bible Studyheadquarters dot com. 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:17,480 Speaker 1: You're listening to Daily devotions with Pastor John. I'm John Stangey, 4 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:22,599 Speaker 1: and today's devotion is inspired by John Chapter fifteen, verse ten, 5 00:00:22,720 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 1: which says, if you keep my commandments, you will abide 6 00:00:27,760 --> 00:00:30,880 Speaker 1: in my love, just as I have kept my father's 7 00:00:30,960 --> 00:00:37,199 Speaker 1: commandments and abide in his love. What visible proof is 8 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,360 Speaker 1: there in our lives that shows we truly love Jesus Christ. 9 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:45,519 Speaker 1: If we say we love Jesus, does that in and 10 00:00:45,560 --> 00:00:48,920 Speaker 1: of itself provide sufficient proof? Or is there a more 11 00:00:49,120 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 1: convincing form of evidence? When we truly love someone, we 12 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:57,920 Speaker 1: care about what matters to them. We make decisions and 13 00:00:57,960 --> 00:01:02,840 Speaker 1: take actions that demonstrate our desire to honor those we love. 14 00:01:04,240 --> 00:01:07,440 Speaker 1: Our love for Christ is demonstrated by the fruit of 15 00:01:07,480 --> 00:01:12,480 Speaker 1: our lives. Because we love him, his commandments aren't burdensome 16 00:01:12,560 --> 00:01:17,280 Speaker 1: to us. We delight to follow his direction. We prioritize 17 00:01:17,360 --> 00:01:23,600 Speaker 1: his revealed will over our fluctuating preferences. The greatest motivation 18 00:01:23,800 --> 00:01:28,800 Speaker 1: to live in faithful obedience to Jesus is love. It 19 00:01:28,800 --> 00:01:31,720 Speaker 1: can seem easy at times to drift toward listening to 20 00:01:31,840 --> 00:01:35,280 Speaker 1: our own voice and our own counsel over his. But 21 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:39,959 Speaker 1: that doesn't produce the sense of peace, satisfaction, and joy. 22 00:01:40,240 --> 00:01:45,560 Speaker 1: Our hearts truly crave. Jesus invites us to abide in 23 00:01:45,680 --> 00:01:49,200 Speaker 1: his love, to grow in our awareness of it, to 24 00:01:49,320 --> 00:01:53,560 Speaker 1: implement it in our everyday interactions, and to recognize that 25 00:01:53,680 --> 00:01:57,400 Speaker 1: obedience to his teaching isn't a burden to be endured, 26 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:05,080 Speaker 1: but a blessing to be enjoy. Let's pray, Lord, we 27 00:02:05,160 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: thank you for your word, and we thank you for 28 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: the privilege that it is to be able to look 29 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:11,560 Speaker 1: at this portion of scripture from the Gospel of John. 30 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:15,200 Speaker 1: And Lord, we're grateful for the fact that you love us, 31 00:02:15,520 --> 00:02:18,600 Speaker 1: and you demonstrate that love to us in so many ways, 32 00:02:19,120 --> 00:02:22,160 Speaker 1: and as people who are deeply loved by you, you 33 00:02:22,280 --> 00:02:26,160 Speaker 1: call us to love you in return, and you show 34 00:02:26,240 --> 00:02:28,760 Speaker 1: us in your word that if we do love you, 35 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:33,600 Speaker 1: we will keep your commandments. It's the visible evidence of 36 00:02:33,639 --> 00:02:36,960 Speaker 1: our genuine love for you. And Lord, we know that 37 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:39,400 Speaker 1: there are many people who profess to have faith in you, 38 00:02:40,080 --> 00:02:42,119 Speaker 1: but yet go about their lives in such a way 39 00:02:42,160 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: that it doesn't seem like they listen to your counsel 40 00:02:44,880 --> 00:02:47,799 Speaker 1: at all, and if we're willing to look at ourselves, 41 00:02:47,880 --> 00:02:50,200 Speaker 1: we can certainly point to seasons of our own lives 42 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:53,640 Speaker 1: when we've done the exact same thing. Our lips say 43 00:02:53,680 --> 00:02:56,280 Speaker 1: that we love you, but our lives at times go 44 00:02:56,400 --> 00:03:00,200 Speaker 1: in a completely different direction. So Lord, we pray say 45 00:03:00,280 --> 00:03:03,720 Speaker 1: that our words and our deeds would be consistent. We 46 00:03:03,840 --> 00:03:07,760 Speaker 1: pray that our faith would be genuine and true, and 47 00:03:07,800 --> 00:03:11,280 Speaker 1: we pray that the activity we engage in the ways 48 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:14,520 Speaker 1: in which we choose to live, the commands that we obey, 49 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:19,280 Speaker 1: would demonstrate the depth of our love for you, and 50 00:03:19,320 --> 00:03:22,520 Speaker 1: that out of genuine love, we would find it a 51 00:03:22,720 --> 00:03:26,799 Speaker 1: joy to listen to your word, not a burden. So 52 00:03:26,840 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 1: thank you, Lord for this challenging reminder from your word today, 53 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:32,600 Speaker 1: and thank you for the fact that you are with 54 00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:36,960 Speaker 1: us and you empower us all along this journey. We 55 00:03:37,080 --> 00:03:40,440 Speaker 1: commit ourselves to you now, and we thank you for 56 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:44,760 Speaker 1: all of these things in Jesus' name. Amen.