Do You Look Any Different?

"...but that the world may know that I love the Father,

I do exactly as the Father commanded Me..." John 14:31

Here's my train of thought after reading John 14:

Why did Jesus obey the Father?

• So that the world would know He loved the Father.

Why should we obey the Father?

• So that the world would know we love the Father.

What does the world see when they look at me right now?

• Good question...

Good works cannot produce salvation:

• they cannot save you
• they cannot earn God's favor
• they cannot pay your debt
• they cannot take anything off the total you owe

But they can produce a few things:

• fruit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self control)
• blessing (choose to sin, choose to suffer - choose to obey, choose to be blessed)
• faith (believing the Word of God and ACTING on it, no matter how I feel, because God promises a good result)
• testimony (the world will know who you love by how you act)

Sometimes obeying God is difficult because we don't feel like doing what He wants us to do. As parents, we see that in our own children but we do not wait for them to feel like obeying - we expect it no matter how they feel. Why? Because we know that what we are asking them to do is in their best interest. When they obey, they are showing their love and trust in us.

This is the same concept with the Lord. When we obey, with or without feelings, we are showing God that we love and trust Him. We are also showing the world Who we love.

It is a good thing to slip into your neighbor's shoes and take a good look at yourself. Do you look any different than anybody else? What message do your actions give?

I just thought it was interesting that Jesus said His obedience to His Father was a testimony to the world. Remember, God the Father so loved the world that He gave His Son - His Son loved His Father so much that He obeyed.

So who do you love today?