Compelling Love

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through Me. – John 14:6 (NKJV)

The context for this verse is that Jesus has just promised to prepare a place for His followers in His Father’s house, and to bring them there in due time.  They will not need to find the way there, because He Himself is the way!

John 14 (NKJV)
¹ “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. ² In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. ³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. ⁴ And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

⁵ Thomas said to Him, “Lord, we do not know where You are going, and how can we know the way?”

⁶ Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

In this passage, Jesus was declaring that eternal life comes through Him. 

He is the truth, because He reveals the Father: He and the Father are one.

⁷ “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

⁸ Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.”

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? ¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. ¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Jesus declares in John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.”

John 1 helps bring understanding of the statement that the Son of God is “the way, the truth and the life”, and why is it that no one comes to the Father except through Him. Here we see the Son of God described as being Creator with the Father, and giver of life and light to all men. He took on flesh to reveal the Father, and to bring grace, truth, and life everlasting to those who receive and follow Him.

John 1 (NKJV)
¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was in the beginning with God. ³ All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴ In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵ And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

⁹ That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.

¹⁰ He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. ¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

 ¹⁶ And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. ¹⁸ No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.

“I am the way” means Jesus is our only access to eternal life and salvation. There is no other way to be saved. Our good deeds cannot save us; neither can our positions in the church or among men can save us. As followers of Christ, we don’t have to search for the way to heaven or a deeply fulfilling life here; He is the way.

“I am the truth” means Jesus is the word of God personified. He is God’s revealer as John writes in John 1:18, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. Jesus reveals the truth and He is the source of all truth. He is, as declared in John 1:9, “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.”

“I am the life” means Jesus Christ is the source of eternal life and abundantly meaningful life here. He gives eternal life to those who believe in Him for salvation. God’s covenant of grace covers everyone who has faith in Christ. Jesus also makes our lives wonderfully meaningful as God intends.

He declares in John 10:10 “… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” He instructs His followers in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.”

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. “… if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)

This is a Biblical prayer for salvation, and for His glory to reign in your life:

Dear Heavenly Father,

Thank you so much for giving Your Son Jesus Christ, who died for me so that I can receive forgiveness and freedom from sins in His name. He died on the cross, was buried and rose again on the third day, ministered for forty days, and then ascended to Heaven where He is seated with you, still interceding for all who come to Him. He sent the Holy Spirit to live right inside us, to teach and guide us, giving us power to live free from sin, and to give you all the glory in our lives.

Lord Jesus, I surrender my life to you now. Come into my heart, fill me with your Holy Spirit, lead me to walk with you, and to live for your glory from this day on.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

Today, July 4, is a holiday in the United States, celebrating Independence Day. On this day in 1776, the patriots signed the “Declaration of Independence” officially separating from the tyrannical English government of king George.

America was to become “the land of the free, and the home of the brave”, one nation under God. God will have His way in this nation that was dedicated to Him, but every generation needs to pray and work for that cause. As Christian patriots, we are grateful to live here, and are rededicating our nation to God.

He is moving in the hearts and lives of His people around the world, and His righteousness will be triumphant in all the earth. All we who truly follow Jesus will let His light shine through us for the glory of God, bringing eternal fruit for His kingdom. This is an exceedingly wonderful day to be alive.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, CompellingLove.net

Abraham is an example of one who keeps his hope and faith, even in the hardest of trials. This was most clearly seen when God tested him by directing him to sacrifice his son Isaac on a mountain in Moriah.  Hebrews 11 describes his faith when faced with this test.

Hebrews 11 (NKJV)
¹⁷ By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, ¹⁸ of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,” ¹⁹ concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.

Abraham declared his faith that both he and his son would be coming back down the mountain. 

Genesis 22:5 (NKJV)
And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

On the way up the mountain, he spoke this promise to Isaac.

Genesis 22:8 (NKJV)
“My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering. So the two of them went together.”

Isaac offered no resistance when Abraham bound his son and placed him upon the wood.  Had he resisted, as a young man he  surely could have overpowered his aged father. But God intervened at the final moment.

Genesis 22 (NKJV)
¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!”So he said, “Here I am.”
¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

¹³ Then Abraham lifted his eyes and looked, and there behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by its horns. So Abraham went and took the ram, and offered it up for a burnt offering instead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”

The offering of Isaac is a shadow of what God has done for us in Jesus Christ.  When Jesus began His public ministry, John the Baptist introduced Him with these words.

John 1:29 (NKJV)
“Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
Jesus willingly laid down His life as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

John 3:16  (NKJV)
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 10 (NKJV)
¹⁷ “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

Jesus Christ truly laid down His life for all of us at Calvary. He is risen from the dead and alive forevermore! How then should we live?

2 Corinthians 5 (NKJV)
¹⁴ For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; ¹⁵ and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

Jesus declares in John 15:4, “Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” Living in the Holy Spirit is the key to abiding with Jesus and following Him as He describes in John chapter 10.

John 10 (NKJV)
¹⁴ I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. ¹⁵ As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. ¹⁶ And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.

¹⁷ “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”

²⁷ My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. ²⁸ And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand.

Jesus teaches how to hear His voice in John chapters 14-16, and promises to send another Helper, the Spirit of truth to live with us and be in us.

John 14 (NKJV)
Jesus Promises Another Helper
¹⁵ “If you love Me, keep My commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— ¹⁷ the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Our divine Helper, the Spirit of truth, will testify of Jesus, bearing witness to who He is.

John 15 (NKJV)
²⁶ “But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. ²⁷ And you also will bear witness, because you have been with Me from the beginning.

In John 16, Jesus further describes the Holy Spirit’s work in the believer’s life, guiding us into all truth.

John 16 (NKJV)
The Work of the Holy Spirit
¹² “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³ However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵ All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you.

When we allow the Holy Spirit to fully dwell in our lives, He gives many benefits: power for evangelism, supernatural love, fruit of character and of souls, and gifts for ministry.  The Holy Spirit pours out the love of God into our hearts, making it possible for us to walk in the love of God toward others: “… because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”  (Romans 5:5 NKJV)

By living in the Holy Spirit, every stronghold of sin or spiritual oppression can be broken and cast out of our lives, but we have to ask Him for it.  “Pray without ceasing,” as Paul exhorts in 1 Thes. 5:17.

Evangelist David Diga Hernandez describes the breaking of demonic strongholds for good in his book, “Holy Spirit the Bondage Breaker”.  He reveals how cultivating a deep fellowship with the Holy Spirit empowers us to walk in lasting authority, power, and freedom. In a recent interview with Sid Roth (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uwvr1m1gKx0), he testifies how he suffered for years from panic attacks until in desperation one day in the middle of an attack he called out, “Help me, Holy Spirit!”.

Immediately a deep peace and presence of God came over him, and these attacks never recurred. This heartfelt prayer regularly repeated breaks strongholds of sin, enabling us to stay centered in God’s will, hearing and obeying Jesus’ voice. The key to living in the Holy Spirit is to ask Him continually to be in charge. This simple prayer empowers us to abstain from every form of evil, so that the God of peace will sanctify us completely, preparing us to meet the Lord at his coming, as Paul lovingly exhorts.

1 Thessalonians 5
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not despise prophecies. ²¹ Test all things; hold fast what is good. ²² Abstain from every form of evil.

²³ Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

The Holy Spirit is the fountain of life, pouring living waters into and through our lives as we stay connected with God, enabling us to see and fulfill the special assignments God has planned for each of our lives. David pictures this in Psalm 36. Exalting God, he declares in verse 9, “For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.”

Psalm 36 (NKJV)
A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord
⁵ Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens;
Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
⁶ Your righteousness is like the great mountains;
Your judgments are a great deep;
O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
⁷ How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God!
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
⁸ They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house,
And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
⁹ For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light.

In Jeremiah 2, God warns against drinking from broken cisterns, idols that allure us to be cut off from Him, “the fountain of living waters”.

Jeremiah 2 (NKJV)
¹³ “For My people have committed two evils:
They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters,
And hewn themselves cisterns—broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Jeremiah 17 compares those who trust and hope in God to trees planted by a river, receiving fresh life and nourishment from the Spirit.

Jeremiah 17 (NKJV)
⁷ “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord,
And whose hope is the Lord.
⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

Jesus promises that those who come to him will receive “living water” that will become in them “a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life”.

John 4 (NKJV)
⁷ A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸ For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
⁹ Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

¹⁰ Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

¹¹ The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? ¹² Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”

¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

In John 7, Jesus again promises to give the Holy Spirit to anyone who comes to him and drink.  “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” After His resurrection and ascension to heaven, He poured out the Holy Spirit with power just as He had promised.  The Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts, guiding and empowering us to fulfill God’s calling for our lives.

John 7 (NKJV)
³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

In John 15, Jesus urges his followers to stay connected with Him as the branch is connected to the vine. Only in this way will we fulfill His joy and bear eternal fruit for God’s glory.

John 15 (NKJV)
⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Revelation 7 describes a great multitude of believers that will come out of the great tribulation and stand before the throne of God.  Jesus, the Lamb of God, will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.

Revelation 7 (NKJV)
¹⁴ … So he said to me, “These are the ones who come out of the great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. ¹⁵ Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them. ¹⁶ They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore; the sun shall not strike them, nor any heat; ¹⁷ for the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will shepherd them and lead them to living fountains of waters. And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.”

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, ever continues to be our fountain of living waters, leading and empowering by the Holy Spirit all who come to Him.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

God is seeking worshipers who give their all to Him, loving Him with all their heart, soul, mind and strength. True worshipers are ever thirsty for more of God, as expressed by the writer of Psalm 42:

Psalm 42 (NKJV)
¹ As the deer pants for the water brooks,
So pants my soul for You, O God.
² My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?

In John 4, Jesus invites the Samaritan woman at the well to satisfy her thirst with the living water that He will give:

John 4 (NKJV)
¹³ Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Those who give their all to God are the true worshipers the Father seeks, worshiping Him in spirit and in truth.

John 4 (NKJV)
²³ “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. ²⁴ God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Those who come to Jesus thirsty for God receive the living water of the Holy Spirit in their hearts.

John 7 (NKJV)
³⁷ On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. ³⁸ He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” ³⁹ But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

People thirsty for God seek His kingdom and righteousness above all else.

Matthew 6 (NKJV)
³¹ “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. ³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

In Matthew 11, Jesus invites us to trade our burdens for His easy yoke:

Matthew 11 (NKJV)
²⁸ “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Jesus taught that those who follow him must die to their own separate agenda, laying down their old life for the new life in Him.

Matthew 16 (NKJV)
²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?

When we give our all to God, His love is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Romans 5 (NKJV)
Faith Triumphs in Trouble
¹Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. ³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

A true worshiper of God willingly becomes a living sacrifice to Him, as Paul describes in Romans 12:

Romans 12 (NKJV)   
¹ I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. ² And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Giving all to God and abiding in Christ, we are new creations in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

The culmination of giving all to God is seen in John 17, where Jesus prays that the unity, glory and love He shares with the Father will also be in us.

John 17 (NKJV)
²⁰ “I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; ²¹ that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. ²² And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: ²³ I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/

In John chapter 4, in his conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus describes the kind of worshippers the Father seeks, true worshippers of God alone.

John 4 (NKJV)
²³ “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. ²⁴ God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

The first of the Ten Commandments is, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”  Jesus referred to this commandment in his final rebuff to the devil in the wilderness: “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”  Matthew 4 describes this encounter.

Matthew 4 (NKJV)
¹ Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry. ³ Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.”

⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”

⁵ Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written:

‘He shall give His angels charge over you,’ and,

‘In their hands they shall bear you up,
Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. ⁹ And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.

When we allow unclean things to enter our minds and hearts, we are turning our backs on the true and living God, and worshiping and serving the god of this world.  David in Psalm 24 describes a true worshiper of God as “he who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to an idol”.

Psalm 24 (NKJV)
³ Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord?
Or who may stand in His holy place?
⁴ He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
Who has not lifted up his soul to an idol,
Nor sworn deceitfully.

In Psalm 29, David enjoins God’s people to give themselves completely to the Lord, and to “worship Him in the beauty of holiness.”  When we give Him our all, He blesses us with strength and “shalom” (peace and wholeness).

Psalm 29 (NKJV)

¹ Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones,
Give unto the Lord glory and strength.
² Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name;
Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

¹¹ The Lord will give strength to His people;
The Lord will bless His people with peace [shalom].

Being a true worshiper of God therefore requires standing guard at the gates to our minds and souls, our eyes and ears, refusing entry to any unclean thing. 

Paul gives helpful advice in Philippians 4 for doing this. If we do these things, he says,the God of peace will be with us.

Philippians 4 (NKJV)
¹Therefore, my beloved and longed-for brethren, my joy and crown, so stand fast in the Lord, beloved.
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!
⁵ Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷ and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4 (NKJV)

⁸ Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. ⁹ The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.

God’s desire for us is that we would be true worshipers of Him alone, walking in the light as He is in the light, enjoying the true freedom for which we were born. By the blood that Jesus Christ shed for us, and by the power of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, we can be true worshippers of God alone, living consistently for His glory.

1 John 1 (NKJV)

⁵ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, http://compellinglove.net

In John 15:9, Jesus declares, “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ” There is no greater fulfillment in life than to abide every day in God’s love. By abiding in His love, we can help others to also abide in His love.  In John 14:6, Jesus declares, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” In John 15, Jesus describes the importance of abiding in Him, and the blessings that flow from this relationship.

John 15 (NKJV)
The True Vine
¹“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

⁵ “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶ If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷ If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸ By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.

Revelation 4:11 (KJV) declares, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” God created each of us for relationship with Him. By the life, atoning death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we can enter into the eternal life and enjoy the joyous loving relationship with Him that He has desired from the beginning.

Continuing in John 15, Jesus describes how this joyous loving relationship with God grows and is perfected.

Love and Joy Perfected
⁹ “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. ¹⁰ If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.

¹¹ “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. ¹² This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, that you love one another.

In John 3:16, the keynote verse of the New Testament, Jesus describes the sacrificial love of God for people of all nations.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Paul gives three keys to help us abide in God’s presence: rejoice, pray and give thanks, always without ceasing in everything.

1 Thessalonians 5 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray without ceasing, ¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

In a similar vein in Psalm 86, David prays for an undivided heart to revere, praise and glorify God’s name forever:

Psalm 86 (NIV)
¹¹ Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.
¹² I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.

In Psalm 16, David describes his abiding relationship with God through the Messiah who was yet to be born.  The “Holy One” in verse 10 who did not see corruption is Jesus Christ, who died for us, rose from the dead, ascended to the Father, and sent the Holy Spirit to live in us.

Psalm 16 (NKJV)
⁷ I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel;
My heart also instructs me in the night seasons.
⁸ I have set the Lord always before me;
Because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved.
⁹ Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices;
My flesh also will rest in hope.
¹⁰ For You will not leave my soul in Sheol,
Nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption.
¹¹ You will show me the path of life;
In Your presence is fullness of joy;
At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

If you believe in Jesus Christ and have received Him as your Lord and Savior, you have eternal life and have  fellowship with God and other believers. By abiding in His loving presence, you are free from the devil’s snares and no longer a slave to sin. This is the promise of 1 John 1:5-9 (NKJV):

⁵ This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. ⁸ If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

David Krause, dhkrause2@gmail.com, https://compellinglove.net/