In Touch Daily Devotional 28th March 2023 By Dr. Charles Stanley, Tuesday Inspirational Message
Read In Touch Daily Devotional 28th March 2023 and be blessed
TOPIC: The Measure of Our Love
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE: John 14:15-24
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[a] 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.”
22 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?”
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. 24 Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.
In Touch Daily Devotional 28th March 2023 MESSAGE
It’s easy to say we love God, but are you showing by your deeds that you love Him? The old adage is true: Actions speak louder than words.
The measure of our love is obedience to God’s commands and principles. In fact, Jesus stressed that very point three times in today’s Bible passage (vv. 15, 21, 23). This wasn’t a new concept for the disciples either. They would have been familiar with the scriptural connection between love and obedience (Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4). In fact, God has always emphasized that the way to show our devotion is by doing what He says (Deuteronomy 8:11; Deut.10:12; Deuteronomy 13:3-4).
Halfhearted commitment can look pretty good to others, but God knows the difference. A preacher could preach a thousand sermons without loving God. And as believers, we may lift hands in worship, support missions, and say the right words. But unless we’re following the commands from God’s Word, the most we’re showing Him is lukewarm affection. Works prove nothing. Loving the Lord means obeying Him.
We are wise, therefore, to follow the Lord’s instructions to Joshua—that is, to meditate on Scripture day and night (Joshua 1:8). Reading from the Bible daily helps us know how to obey—that is the only way to stay faithful and show the Father our love.
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: 1 Samuel 15-16
REFLECTION: We don’t obey God to prove our love, but when we love Him, we want to obey Him more and more.
In Touch Daily Devotional 28th March 2023. Charles Stanley is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta and founder of In Touch Ministries, both located in Atlanta, Georgia. Dr. Stanley’s heart’s desire is to get the gospel to “as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, as clearly as possible, as irresistibly as possible, through the power of the Holy Spirit to the glory of God.