Saturday Reading: John 14:15
Key Verse: John 14:15
15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
Devotion:
What do you think when you read the New Testament? Do you think of this as a new way in which Christ would have us to live and respond? Do you look upon it as being what Christ told us because all the rest of it has been what man has written down? Do you view the New and Old Testaments as being entirely different? Well how about taking a bit of time off and reading through the Old Testament after you have read through the New Testament. When we see words like these that Jesus spoke we should not take them as being something new because God has been trying to get the same message across to us from the beginning!
We can look back through the books written by the prophets and see how many times God reminded the people (as in Jeremiah 7) that they should be obeying Him instead of doing all manner of sacrifices and ceremonies to appease God. God does not want man to stand on ceremony for the sake of it but rather to come to Him in humbleness, openness and in love. When Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” He did not change anything but rather enforced the idea that we need to be in a personal relationship with Him. Our belief in God in between us and Him. It is very personal. It is not for show or pomp and ceremony but rather us coming to Him.
I’m not saying that we should drop all ceremonies and stop going to church and rather sit at home and pray to Him alone. What I am saying is that we need to listen to what He is saying to us, personally, and then follow what He has already laid down for us. He has given us both the New and Old Testaments so that we can know that He has not changed from the beginning of time – we change, we falter, we fall, we sin. Christ came to this earth as a Human to fulfil the prophecies. He came to show us that He is keeping His word always. He came to show us just how much He does love us – let us now move to show Him that we do love Him by keeping His commandments.
Points to Ponder:
How do you show others your love?
How do you show God your love?
Key Verse: John 14:15
15 If you love me, keep my commandments.
Devotion:
What do you think when you read the New Testament? Do you think of this as a new way in which Christ would have us to live and respond? Do you look upon it as being what Christ told us because all the rest of it has been what man has written down? Do you view the New and Old Testaments as being entirely different? Well how about taking a bit of time off and reading through the Old Testament after you have read through the New Testament. When we see words like these that Jesus spoke we should not take them as being something new because God has been trying to get the same message across to us from the beginning!
We can look back through the books written by the prophets and see how many times God reminded the people (as in Jeremiah 7) that they should be obeying Him instead of doing all manner of sacrifices and ceremonies to appease God. God does not want man to stand on ceremony for the sake of it but rather to come to Him in humbleness, openness and in love. When Jesus said “If you love me, keep my commandments” He did not change anything but rather enforced the idea that we need to be in a personal relationship with Him. Our belief in God in between us and Him. It is very personal. It is not for show or pomp and ceremony but rather us coming to Him.
I’m not saying that we should drop all ceremonies and stop going to church and rather sit at home and pray to Him alone. What I am saying is that we need to listen to what He is saying to us, personally, and then follow what He has already laid down for us. He has given us both the New and Old Testaments so that we can know that He has not changed from the beginning of time – we change, we falter, we fall, we sin. Christ came to this earth as a Human to fulfil the prophecies. He came to show us that He is keeping His word always. He came to show us just how much He does love us – let us now move to show Him that we do love Him by keeping His commandments.
Points to Ponder:
How do you show others your love?
How do you show God your love?