Happy Friday! Before you continue reading, I encourage you to take a few moments to ask God to clear your mind and heart of anything that would get in the way of concentrating on what God might want you to hear from Him today. May He bless your meditation! John 14:15 – 17; 25 – 27
15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
25 “All this I have spoken while still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.”
Delton has been preaching in this series about the difference between changing behavior based on Consequences vs. Identity. We all know that real change in behavior does not come about based on Consequences. Verse 15 hits it on the head because love for God comes straight out of our Identity. It is saying, “If love for God is who you are, then keep God’s commands”.
Think about the people you know who have radically changed in terms of their behavior. Was it because of a sudden appreciation for and fear of Consequences? More likely is that there was a realization that that behavior did not really fit their Identity.
As you go through your day today, I encourage you to concentrate on who you really ARE (Identity) as opposed to what might happen (Consequences). Remember, YOU are a child of God through Jesus Christ. Now let’s go live like it!
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