12 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father. 13 Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:12-17 ESV)
We left yesterday with this question: do our lives reflect our belief of the Son? When we pick up this passage again with that question, we are led two additional questions: How does faith lead to works? And, how can loving God lead to obeying his commandments?
First, to answer how faith leads to works. Faith, is not just head knowledge. We don’t sit in a bunch of Bible Studies, and church services simply collecting information about God. It's only when we apply that information to our lives that our belief in something becomes faith. In fact, living in faith means our actions become oriented toward asking God to do things to glorify him and then living as if he already did just what we asked. Jesus confirms just that in verse 12. When we ask in faith and live as we received what we asked by living it, we'll witness the great things God does through our faith.
Second, how can loving God lead to obeying his commandments? Look at verse 15: Jesus didn’t just know that God loved him. He believed it and therefore lived in that love. When Jesus did what God had commanded him to do by living perfectly and then dying on the cross for imperfect humans, God was glorified as a result. God glorifies himself through us when we live as we believe in Jesus. The reason we ask and can even ask is because we ask believing Jesus loves us. And if Jesus loves us, then the Father must also love us. Jesus says so. When we love somebody, we do as they ask so that we can honor the person who loves us. Therefore, doing what God commands brings glory to himself through our love toward him.
Pray that you can orient your love toward God and receive what you ask for in prayer through the Holy Spirit and live glorifying God through your obedience.
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