Dayspring Blog

What did Jesus mean if you love me you'll keep my commandments?

Pastor James Merritt from the popular broad cast Touching Lives gave this analogy of what Jesus meant when He said "If you love me keep my commandments" 

To know Him is to put faith in Him, To put faith in Him is to love Him, and to love Him is to obey Him.  We don't have to look to far from his word, to know that the more we trust Jesus the more we will want to know Him and the more we know him, not just know about him but interact and allow His interaction with us the more we find we love Him. The more we grow to love Him, the easier we find it to obey Him.

It's only when we refuse to obey Him does He seem distant from us. The distance grows as we continue to be disobedient to him. Just as in any relationship the less interaction the greater the distance. The greater the distance the less likely we are to change for the better. But if we will try and live by His word, the more likely we grow together than apart and the more radical change for the better we will find ourselves. This organic change comes from within and expresses itself outward as the world looks on. They can see a new you and how much you love the Savior.   

Are we Christian or do we play one on Television?

Following is an excerpt from a post in the blog of Holly Pelz

…I’ve gone almost my whole life feeling like a failure of a Christian. I always understood my spiritual success to be measured by an unspoken set of rules, and if I did ABCD, I’d be considered a good Christian.

I knew everything about how to appear Godly- how to act, how to worship, pray, respond with “God” answers, etc. I wanted to fit in with the Christian community, but somehow never felt good enough. Eventually this false me took over completely and I lived in it fully, deceiving even myself at times.

In this existence, I always experienced a significant amount of spiritual envy. I looked at the people around me, wondering what the secret was, how they could be experiencing God so intimately. And I lived with fear. Fear that people might see right through me.

And now…I’m done. The façade of “everything being great, I’ve got it together, I’m a really spiritual person, etc” is exhausting. For the first time in my life, I believe I’m experiencing freedom in Christ, freedom from guilt and freedom in who I am. …My time with God might be a little unconventional, I might go through phases where I feel like an inconsistent mess, and I WILL make mistakes- but it’s okay. I’m okay. ~~~~ the blog of Holly Pelz

God is real and he expects us to be real. His very essence is to love and to be loved of our own will. We as profession of faith can't truly love if we are fake. The way we live, or the way we react, or when we do/ don't reach out to others we show appreciation/ or lack there of; of truly who God is and has done for us on calvary!!!