The sign that someone truly loves another is not by the words that they speak, but by the actions that they do. Anyone can say that they love someone, but unless they do something that shows that claim of love, those words are just words, nothing more.
So when someone says that they love another person, what does that really mean? Well, Jesus taught that if someone loves Him then they need to keep His Word. They need to obey Him, and it is when they do this that they prove their love.
John 14:15, 21 If ye love me, keep my commandments.
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.
Someone can claim all they want that they love Jesus, but if they don’t abide in His teachings and keep them faithfully as He instructed, then they really do not love Jesus, do they?
When we love Jesus we will seek to do His word over and above anything that anyone else tells us to do. If someone tries to get us to do something that goes against the teachings of the Bible then we must obey Jesus, even if that person happens to be a very close friend or family member. Jesus and His Word must remain first in our lives. Our love must remain greater for Jesus than for anyone else.
1 John 2:3-6 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.
But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
In order for someone to call themselves a Christian, they must first understand what that means. A Christian is defined as a follower of the teachings and doctrines of Jesus Christ. A Christian is a servant to Jesus and His will, not their own. They serve Jesus, not themselves or anyone else. They hand over the control of their lives completely to Jesus and let Him use their lives for the glory of the Father. That is what being a Christian is.
As Christians, we can show our love for the Lord Jesus when we faithfully keep His commandments, and as the Bible teaches, His commands are not grievous and difficult.
1 John 5:1-3 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.
By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.
While the commands and demands of the Old Testament Judaic Law may indeed have been difficult and impossible for anyone other than Jesus to keep perfectly, the new command that Jesus has given His believers is one that is quite a bit more simple. What is this command?
John 13:34-35 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
When we have love one towards another we are keeping the command of the Lord. That’s it! Love one another, as Jesus has loved you. All of the other commands of the Old Testament are all included under this single, simple command to love one another.
So do you want to be the recipient of the love of Christ Jesus? Then show Jesus your love, not simply by saying those words “I love you,” but show your love for Him by your deeds. It’s quite simple, isn’t it?
In Christ
Andrew
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 