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The Daily Walk

The Daily Walk
Words of Faith 2-1-17
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2017
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
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John 14
[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 obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

To be orphaned in the ancient world was a devastating thing. To be left without parents or family was to be impoverished and powerless. The idea that Jesus was leaving could have meant that the disciples would be spiritually impoverished and powerless after having spent three years following the Lord. But this was not to be. Jesus was coming to be with them. Their relationship with Jesus was just starting!
What did Jesus mean when He said, “I will come to you?” It is most likely that Jesus was talking about His Resurrection and then the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. These two events would confirm to the disciples that, indeed, Jesus is one with the Father but also that the Lord continues to live in the believer. Jesus is clear, “I am in you.”
So what does this ongoing life of a disciple look like? It is not the life of an orphaned or abandoned child. It is the life of a loved and nurtured child who is growing in trust and obedience. Jesus is in the believer by the presence of the Holy Spirit. Because He is there to guide and empower us, we are set free to be obedient. The life of loving Jesus is marked by ever increasing obedience to the presence of Christ within us.
Don’t misunderstand. Obedience to the commands of Christ is not a way of earning the love of Christ. Obedience is simply the mark of one who has been loved by the Father in Jesus Christ. We are not loved because we have been obedient; we are obedient because we have been so greatly loved. As we grow in that obedient relationship, Christ reveals Himself to us more and more. “He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
Are you growing in your relationship with Jesus? Is your walk with Him one of ever-increasing trust? Is Jesus showing Himself to you more and more? The truth is that sometimes Christians act like orphans even though they are not.
We sometimes act as though we have no Father and no guidance. Some even call this “freedom”, but it is nothing of the sort. Walking with Jesus means recognizing on a daily, even moment to moment basis, the very presence of Jesus in our lives. We do nothing intended to “earn His love”. Rather we seek to know what His will and command because we have been so greatly loved.

Lord, thank You for loving me so greatly. Thank You for not leaving me abandoned. I will treasure this day with You. Show me who You want me to be and what You want me to do. I am eager to follow. 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.