DAILY DEVOTION, April 13, 2022

You are my friends if you do what I command (John 15:14).

Jesus expects those who call Him Lord to obey His commands. This involves three steps. First, we read the Scriptures to learn His commands. We cannot obey commands we do not know. Second, we do our best to obey His every word. We don’t succeed all the time, but if we believe He is Lord, we try to obey Him. Third, when we disobey, we quickly repent and receive forgiveness. Then we try again to obey Him.

This is not a salvation verse but a discipleship verse. Salvation is a free gift we receive when we trust in Jesus. We either trust Jesus as our Savior, or we do not. Discipleship has to do with how well we obey His commands after being redeemed, including the command to confess our sins and try again. Discipleship varies in our lives. There are days when we do well in obedience, and there are days when we fall short. If we are committed to obedience, we are friends of Jesus. We sing “Trust and Obey.” Trust leads to salvation. Obedience leads to friendship with Jesus. The greater our obedience, the closer our friendship. Is it your life goal to obey Jesus?

Father, I know I can never be good enough to earn Your favor. I thank You for the gift of eternal life. Out of gratitude for Your mercy I want to live my life in obedience to Jesus. In His name I pray, Amen.