The Measure of a Man
Part Two
OBEDIENCE
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God
with all thy heart, and with all thy soul,
and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength”
Mark 12:30
In John Chapter 14 we are caught up in the drama of Jesus seeking to prepare His disciples for His impending departure at the hands of a wicked and perverse generation. In these moments we feel the intensity of the Son to convey to them the Father and the coming promise of the Comforter. During this time of great intimacy Jesus speaks of love being the criteria for determining the measure of a man’s obedience.
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word”
John 14:23
“The one who does not love Me
does not keep My words”
John 14:24
The simplicity of the Christian Life, when all the words, doctrines and teachings of men are removed, is reduced to these two simple choices; life and relationship with The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; or Religion and death. Let us re-examine these scriptures in their entirety to understand their full ramifications.
“If anyone loves Me, he will keep My Word,
and My Father shall love him.
And We will come to him and
will make a dwelling place with him”
John 14:23
“The one who does not love Me
does not keep My words”
John 14:24
The immensity of the contrast between these two scriptures is solely determined by the love we hold in our hearts. Being Loved of the Father, and the enjoyment of the Father and the Son making their dwelling place within ours hearts, is not determined by what we know but by who we love.
Men are constantly reading books, listening to sermons, joining organizations, holding prayer and fellowship meetings and trying to follow men in order to reach these deeper places of relationship. As important as some of these things may be, we miss the fact that the simplicity of a life filled with loving Him, with all of our hearts, is the Way of access. The measure of our love for Him is found in the revelation of our keeping, obeying and loving His Word.
“But if any man love God,
the same is known of him.”
1Corinthians 8:3
It is this love alone which determines
the measure of a man in God.
Brian Troxel
www.aword.info