Day 20 - Why Does God Love Us?
- Pastor b.Side
- Feb 20
- 3 min read
Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” - John 14:23
The Bible is full of many promises. The promise that Jesus made in John 14:23 is often overlooked or misunderstood. Before Jesus surrendered Himself to the cross, He taught many important things to His disciples that explained how He would operate while being physically absent from the world. Here, Jesus promised an incredible blessing to those who love Him. Both He and the Father will come and make Their home with them. Woah!
“If anyone loves Me…”
Jesus will fulfill this promise unconditionally, but there are conditions to benefit from Jesus’ work. The beneficiaries of Jesus’ promise are ONLY those who love Him. This is the same kind of “love” that Jesus described in John 3:16 – denying oneself for the spiritual benefit and gain of others, including enemies. This is a supernatural kind of love that ONLY comes from God. How do humans love this way? The indwelling of the Father and Son equips God's true people to love as He does. Jesus later explained that He and the Father take up residence in the hearts of His true followers through the Holy Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit is God, His presence fills true believers with the full presence of God. As the Spirit lives within His people’s souls, He can show His unique attributes, including love.
“He will keep My word…”
This means that Jesus’ promise is intentional. Jesus doesn’t just want to be close to us; He aims to govern our lives from within by showing His remarkable qualities instead of our corrupted ones. That’s why Jesus said that those who love Him are those who keep His Word. Those who have truly received God's love are born again by His Spirit, which convicts us from within and guides us to understand His righteousness through His Word, shaping us to His image. This is how we learn the truth of who God is. It’s how we come to value God’s ways over our own. It’s where we gain the perspective that teaches us to live in harmony with God’s eternal and spiritual purposes.
“We will come to him and make Our home with him…”
The love of God requires the supernatural work of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit working together within our hearts and minds. That love empowers love. Jesus’ promise to love this way explains His purpose. He wants to reveal Himself through His work from within, to glorify Himself and transform our lives. That transformation is the benefit! God’s benefits come through His work to fully consume and take over our lives. That truth shouldn’t scare or concern us. It should humble us to know that God wants to make His home with us despite everything He knows about us…
Prayer for today
Our heavenly Father, we acknowledge that this promise is difficult to understand. It’s hard to know how You dwell within us by Your Spirit. Forgive us for the moments when we forget this truth. Forgive us for treasuring the things of this world more than Your presence in our lives. Since we’ve been born again by Your Spirit, help us remember the privilege and power You’re constantly providing in us and through us for Your glory! Help us be encouraged throughout the day by remembering that Your benefits come from Your incomprehensible love. We pray these things in Jesus’ name. Amen!
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