Celebrating Easter with Obedience

As I mentioned several weeks ago, Easter continues for 50 days. Today is the fifth Sunday of the Easter season. This week’s gospel reading includes promises and instructions.

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. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. ¹⁹ Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. ²⁰ On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. ²¹ Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

John 14:15-21 (NIV)

“If you love me…” How often do we tell God that we love Him? Can others see that love in the way that we live our lives? Are we being obedient to Jesus’ commands? How well do we care for the marginalized? Do we see them as Jesus did? Do we dedicate time to prayer? Jesus would steal away in the mornings for time with His Father. Do we? How are we demonstrating our love for the people in our church community? Or have we forsaken that gathering? If we have, why? We all have areas where we need to grow. And the Spirit will bring conviction. The question is whether we will “humbly accept the word God has planted in” us (James 1:21, NLT) through our Scripture reading? Will we respond with obedience?

Here’s this week’s Sunday contemporary collect:

Almighty God, whom truly to know is everlasting life: Grant
us so perfectly to know your Son Jesus Christ to be the way,
the truth, and the life, that we may steadfastly follow his
steps in the way that leads to eternal life; through Jesus Christ
your Son our Lord, who lives and reigns with you, in the unity
of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

To consider:

• Ask the Lord to show you if there are particular areas of disobedience that He wants you to address.
• Prayerfully identify practical ways that you can serve the people in your church or your wider community. Consider asking another believer to join you and follow through.

Thank you so much!

I’ve really enjoyed the emails and texts I’ve been getting about the new Wise Words series and these Sunday posts. They are so encouraging – thank you! Are there particular questions or ideas you’d like for me to dig into a bit more?

Image by TC Perch from Pixabay

© 2019-2024 Jennifer Brown Jones