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WEEK THREE: Devotion, Worship and Obedience
Obedience from Love
Focus: Loving Jesus through obedience.
Reflection: What command of Christ is hardest for me to obey?
John 14:15-31
Promise of the Holy Spirit15"The evidence that you love Me will be seen in the way you obey what I command you to do.16To enable this obedience, when I return to heaven I will ask the Father to replace Me with another Counsellor exactly like Me, who will remain with you forever.17He is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot receive Him, because those who belong to the world neither see the way He works nor do they know Him. But you know Him, for this Spirit of Truth lives with you and soon will be in you.18"I will not leave you alone; I will come to you.19Soon the world will not be able to see Me any longer, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will also live filled with My life.20Then you will know for sure that I am at one with the Father, you are at one with Me and I am living in you.21"Who really loves Me? The one who not only has My commands but obeys them! Anyone who genuinely loves Me like that will be loved by My Father. I will also love him and will continue to reveal Myself to him."22Then the other Judas (not Iscariot) asked: "Lord, why will You reveal yourself to us, but not to everyone in the world?"23Jesus answered: "If anyone genuinely loves Me, he will put My teaching into practice. My Father will love him and both He and I will come and live with him. Yes, we will make our home with him.24But anyone who does not love Me will not obey what I have said. What I tell you is not My own teaching; it comes from the Father who sent Me!25"I have told you all these things while I am still with you.26The Father will send you the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, in My name. When He comes He will teach you all you need to know and will remind you of everything I have already taught you.Jesus tells of His departure27"I leave you with the gift of peace. It is My peace that I give to you, the kind of peace the world can never give you. Because you have My peace, there is no need to allow your hearts to become fearful or troubled.28"You have heard Me tell you, 'I am about to leave you, but I am going to return to you!' If you really love Me you should be glad about this. You should rejoice that I am returning to be with My Father in heaven, for He is greater in heaven than I am here in My human body!29I have warned you of what is about to take place so that when it does happen you will continue to believe.30"There is not much more I can say to you now. The devil, the prince of this world, is about to have his way.31Understand that he has no control whatsoever over Me; but the world needs to see Me demonstrate how I love the Father by doing exactly what He has commanded Me. So let us be ready for what is about to happen.
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