KEEPING HIS WORD = JOY
“But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:
hereby know we that we are in him.” (1 John 2:5 AV)
“In
the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
(John 1:1 AV)
Our Lord, Jesus, is the Word of God. If we keep Jesus in our heart and mind, then
we are in Him, as He is in us. What we have here is covenant, God and us. This
covenant differs from the Old Covenant in that the New Covenant is of the
heart, or Spirit, by faith, not by works of the law through obedience of the
flesh, the old Covenant.
The Old Commandments were demands meant to accomplish
works of love to God and man through God’s laws; the New is the manifestation
of God Himself through us. God is love, and so, we manifest God who abides with
and in us because “we keep His Word”. We are laborers together with Him
in works of Love, (God). 1Cor. 3:9
If Jesus is the living Word of God, and Jesus IS God
come in flesh to redeem us, then the Word is LOVE because God is LOVE. If we
keep the Word, we are keeping God’s LOVE. If we preach the Word, we are
preaching God’s LOVE. And, “For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16 AV) What
God gave us is His Word, His only begotten Son. God wants us to preach His
Word, and His Word is Jesus, Christ.
The “good news”, then is that the Word of God (Jesus)
saves by our being willing to “keep Him (God’s Word)”, not just “accept” Him.
There are too many cases of people who want a temporary salvation, a quick
“fix” to get them by for a time, or to calm a troubled conscience. There seems
to be few who are willing to “keep Him” for ever.
Grieving the Spirit of God is when we turn aside from
“keeping His Word, Jesus”. Have you
ever been heart broken because someone you loved mocked you, or was unfaithful
to you? Heart-brokenness is grief of spirit. This is what happens to the Holy
Ghost when we disrespect Him; He is grieved, and we who are in Covenant with
Him know it immediately, and need to confess this fault, and repent with sorrow
for our deed.
Keeping Jesus is a joy, and makes for such a happy
life, that we want to let others know that they can also have such joy if they
are willing to not only receive Jesus, but to keep Him forever. So, when Jesus
commands us to “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel, etc.”, we are
really excited to obey and see others receive their new life in Jesus, and
Jesus in them, forever.
If you have not yet believed that Jesus is the Word of God, and that God’s Word can be in you, please begin to seek the truth of God’s Word. As you do, you will find open spiritual doors that will lead you to Jesus, because Jesus is the truth. When He reveals Himself to you, then is your opportunity to invite Him into your heart for keeps, because you must “keep Him” if you are to have a place in Him.