Just maybe...some of you who read here regularly are beginning to see a ‘light come on’, or perhaps are seeing more ‘dots connected’ as you study out many of the Bible verses I provide for you here daily. If so, then you too are probably seeing a ‘different picture’ emerge that is not the same image so many of us have grown accustomed to seeing regarding this idea of what believing, trusting in, or following Jesus means.

I would hope you too, have taken a closer look at your own heart and ‘walk’ asking yourself if you have actually been abiding in Him. Paul does encourage us to do that very thing. (2 Cor. 13:5). And if you have, then you will find yourself also asking...’how can I tell or know that I am abiding in Jesus?’ One thing should be clear by now and I have stated it repeatedly...you can be an active and faithful ‘church’ member/attender and still not be abiding in Christ.

And yet, John writes in his first epistle that we can indeed know if we are abiding in Him. Take a look at 1 John 2:3-6 and let that settle in your spirit. If you couple that with John 14:15, rest assured- if we truly know Jesus and love Him...then we are keeping His commandments. Which then usually leads us to ask: “which ones?” What commandment are we talking about here that keeps being brought up? The rich young ruler asked Jesus that very question himself. (Matt. 19:18; 1 John 3:22-23; 5:22-23)

Allow me to simplify this for you as Jesus did for us. All...of the laws and writings of the prophets are summed up nicely in these two commandments: We are going to love God with all our hearts and we will love our neighbor as ourself. And this is not something new to God’s people either. (Matt. 22:34-40; Deut. 6:4-6).

If you find yourself needing to dig through all the OT laws (600+ of them) then may I humbly suggest you have been sidetracked? Go back and read Matt. 22:34-40 again...and then turn to John 13:34-35. Jesus basically is ‘tweaking’ that second ‘great commandment’ just a hair, or maybe clarifying it for our understanding. He sets the ‘standard’ as to how we are to ‘love our neighbor as ourself’ when He points out that we will love others as “He has loved us”. By this...will all know...we are His disciples. It was not a suggestion either. It was a commandment, followed up with “If you love me...do this!”

Have you ever stopped to ask yourself after hearing/reading that statement: “How on earth am I supposed to do that”? I mean, we can nod our heads in agreement because those words are right there for us to take in; but let’s be real here: you know as well as I do that this does not boil down to a simple decision of agreement where we just get up and go out and try to start loving everyone just like Jesus did. We are incapable of doing this, no matter how hard you might want to and even attempt to do. And what is the evidence that we are ‘abiding in Jesus’? Again...look what John writes: “He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6; 3:6). Umm...friends...how’s that working out for you these days?

And the reason why we are incapable of fulfilling this ‘law’ boils down to one fact: We don’t have His nature residing in us. Now hear me out on this next fact: Simply stating that you believe in or ‘trust Jesus’ does not mean you automatically have His nature in you, nor does it give you a free pass from having to obey this one law. Far from it friends.

But here’s the good news: We can have His nature residing in us; and not ‘just by faith’. That...is what this walk of faith and obedience is all about. It’s called ‘abiding’ in Him. And unless you do surrender to His Lordship and allow Him to perfect His love in you, you will find yourself in that same group of folks that Jesus warned us about in Matt. 7:21-23.