John 14:23 Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.
There are two verses in John's Gospel that say the same thing, 14:15 and 15:14; they are easy to remember because of the mirrored numbering. "If you love me, keep my commands" 14:15 and "You are my friends if you do what I command" 15:14. Our love for God can grow daily or fade quickly; the choice lies within our hearts and souls. The driving force of our love for God and others is to cherish the words of Christ Jesus and make them the propulsion force of our lives. Then, when we have done that, live our lives in a manner that we would reflect Christ Jesus to this lost, dark, and dying world.
The timing of this chapter was right after the "Last Supper." Jesus was preparing the 12 Apostles for what was about to come, His crucifixion. So, in the first verse of this chapter, we see where Jesus told them not to be troubled because even though He would be leaving them physically, He would send the comforter, the Holy Spirit.
Judas, who was about to betray Him, asked why He would show Himself to them and not the world. In His answer to Judas, Jesus repeated a theme that He had already been teaching them. Jesus referred to those that followed Him during His earthly ministry and His followers down through the ages. In those, then and now, that truly love God, Jesus will come to them and make His home with them (14:23b).
He clears this up in the 25th through the 27th verse of this chapter. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit will comfort us today so that our hearts do not have to be troubled. The world does not know about the indwelling of the Holy Spirit or see the great gift that it is. It is a soothing influence to know that in every heartbeat of our lives, Jesus is alive in us, leading, guiding, teaching, and directing our lives through the Holy Spirit.
God only makes Himself known to those that respond to and act upon His Holy Word. Therefore, Christ Jesus will reveal Himself to all believers through the Word. Jesus proclaimed in this verse of Scripture that the Father would show love to all those that follow His teachings (1 John 2:3; 3:22 & 24; 5:3), and they will come and make their home with those faithful ones. "Making their home" would indicate a close intimate fellowship with all that Love Christ Jesus and show that love to those around them. Charles Spurgeon once said, "Your heart can become a "heaven on earth" as you commune with the Lord and worship Him."
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