Marie’s daily verse: As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” JOHN 15:9-11

DAILY DEVOTION, March 1, 2023

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21).

We learn several essential truths from these words of Jesus. First, we have His commandments recorded in Scripture. Do we obey them? Jesus declares that the one striving to keep His commandments is the one who loves Him. We may conclude that those who show little or no interest in obeying Him do not really love Him. Those who do not love Him do not trust Him. They are outside the Kingdom of God. We must ask, “Do I try to keep the commands of Jesus?”

Jesus adds that the heavenly Father loves those who love Jesus.  But doesn’t God love everybody? Yes, but His love for the world is, in a way, potential. It becomes actual when we trust in His Son. Yes, God loves you, but you become a part of His family when you trust in His Son. When faith is present in us, God’s potential love becomes actual.

When all the above is in place, something glorious happens. Jesus manifests Himself to us. To manifest is to reveal. Wow! Jesus here promises to reveal Himself to those who meet the conditions. How He does that varies from person to person. The point is that true Christians not only trust Jesus, but they also know Him. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to our innermost being. This leads to a final question we must ask ourselves. Do I know Jesus as a living presence within my heart?

Father, I thank You for sending Your Son into the world to save us. I pray that my faith is genuine. Father, I want to obey Your commandments, not to earn Your favor but to demonstrate the reality of my faith and love for Your Son. I pray the Holy Spirit will reveal Jesus to my heart continually. In His name, Amen.