If You Love Me

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

We are told by Jesus what the two greatest commandments are in Matthew 22:37-40. We are to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind, and we are to love our neighbor like we would love ourselves. When we fulfill these two commandments, we will fulfill every commandment.

It is interesting that Jesus said, “If you love me.” So many people say they love the Lord, but Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” In John 14, Jesus went on to say it again in a different way in verses 23 and 24. He said, “If a man loves me, then he will keep my Word.” Or you could say that if someone doesn’t really love the Lord, they will not keep His Word.

The written Word of God is His sayings for us. If you and I really love Him, we will put these words into action, and we will love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, and we will love our neighbors like we love ourselves. In other words, God is first and so, His Word must be first, and we must follow the Holy Spirit every second of our lives. We must actually think about what we do and say and how it truly affects our neighbor.

Who is your neighbor? Everybody! Love lays down its life and doesn’t insist on its own way and rights, but really puts what is best for others first. I am so glad Jesus did that as He, in love, laid down His life for us.

Jesus made similar statements that are recorded in the book of John when it comes to doing the Word of God. John 13:17 says, “If you know these things, happy are you if you do them.” John 15:14 says, “You are my friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.” This same sentiment is recorded in Luke 6:46, “And why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?” I think Jesus wants us to do what He says.

Then you add to that the one we all know in James 1:22, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” You and I prove that we love the Lord by doing what He says. It is not just in lip service to Him or the attending of church or wearing the right T-shirt. It is in the doing of what He says that proves we love Him.

The great thing is that the doing of the Word of God produces something in our lives. First, it produces a stable life that cannot be blown away by the storms of this life. When you look at the account of Jesus comparing the two people who build their houses, which represents their life and what caused success and what caused destruction, you will see that it boils down to those who do the Word of God and those who don’t.

The storms come to everyone in the same way and to the same degree. The storms are not any different according to Matthew 7:24-27. Everyone in life faces the same storms at the same intensity. All are intended to destroy your life. However, if you are a doer of the Word and not just a hearer, you will come through the storm because your life is founded on the rock, Jesus Christ. If you just hear the Word and you don’t do it, destruction will be the result.

One other thing that doing what Jesus says instead of just hearing it will produce is miracles. In the book of John, the first miracle Jesus did, a miracle of convenience, not necessity, all happened because the future Apostles did one thing: they did what He said. They just did it! If you want miracles, the divine intervention of God, then you just have to do what He says.