Verse of the Day - John 14:23

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"Jesus answered him, 'Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.'"
John 14:23, NRSV

One of the questions that gets asked the least is, "What does it mean to keep Jesus's words?" I think a lot of Christians take it for granted that keeping the words of Jesus means obedience to the things we find Jesus commanding in scripture. While this is true in a general sense, I'm reminded of the young man who asked Jesus what must I do to be saved? Jesus didn't give him a vague answer. He gave him a very specific answer, and he enumerated for the man several things that would lead to his salvation.

If you're wondering about your own life, I suggest you decide what is at the heart of God's mission and see what Jesus says related to that. Here's a brief overview of what that looks like for me: God is love, and God's love for creation is at the heart of God's mission. Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God with all you are and love your neighbor as yourself, and Paul echoes Jesus and says that faith, hope, and love are the only three things that remain after all other things, and the greatest of those three is love. Jesus also said to the Pharisees that the weightier matters are justice and mercy. It seems to me that a great place to begin with the words of Jesus are in love — love for God and love for others manifested as mercy and justice.

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