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Inviting Him In

Inviting Him In
Words of Faith 2-2-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 14
[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, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. [24] He 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.

I have often thought that it must have been tough in the early church to have the name “Judas”. Every time you made a nametag you would have to write (not Iscariot) under your name. :-) John is careful to make sure we understand that this “other Judas” had a very good question. Why was it that Jesus intended to reveal himself to disciples but not to the world?
This is a good question to this day. I have often wondered why it is that the Lord does not reveal Himself to a certain person, group, or to the mass of society. Why is it that the Lord does not simply take to the airwaves or appear in the sky and tell everyone that He loves them and to straighten up? Why doesn’t Jesus make everyone believe?
The answer Jesus gave is interesting. Jesus said that if anyone loves Him, they will obey and Jesus and the Father will move into that life. Faith comes first. Perhaps the reason the Lord does not dramatically demand allegiance is because He desires obedience born of love and not fear.
It is still not clear whether the beloved are obedient or the obedient are beloved but it seems that Jesus does not force belief on anyone. If one loves the Lord and shows that love by obedience they will know the love of the Father and God will reveal Himself.
“My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” What a marvelous image! God the Father and Lord Jesus will “move in” to the life of a believer by the presence of the Holy Spirit. It seems that in most cases for the Lord to reveal Himself in an undeniable way requires a step of faith first expressed in obedience. This is the walk of faith. We hear the Word, trust, and obey. Then we experience the powerful reality of His presence.
Of course there is at least one notable example where that appears not to be the case. This is Saul of Tarsus. We have no evidence that Saul was seeking to walk in obedient faith. The sovereign Lord simply chose to reveal Himself to Saul in a dramatic and undeniable way (Acts 9). That is the prerogative of God.
But this is not the greatest source of blessing. Jesus was clear on another occasion that the greater blessing is not in having seen and then believed, but in having not seen and yet believed (John 20:29). Such faith comes by hearing the Word of God.
The bottom line is that one who does not love the Lord will not obey the teaching of the Lord and He will not move in. And this comes direct from the Father (14:25).
Have you struggled with your faith? Most of us have. Have you thought that if only God would reveal Himself in a burning bush or dramatic miracle, then you would believe? That would be nice but it does not result in stronger faith. This is rarely the walk the Lord calls us to.
The Lord calls us to hear the Word. Hear the Good News. Trust Him even with the tiniest seed of faith. Then walk in obedience. Then, we will discover Him as He moves in and takes up residence with us.

Lord, I trust You. I choose today to walk in obedience to Your Word. Come and move in with me. Make my heart Your home. In Jesus’ name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2002, 2017
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2010 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.