“Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23).
If we love God we would also love His Word. In fact, the proof of our love for God is when we keep His commandments. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).
Our outward deed should be motivated by our deep love for the Scripture. Otherwise, outwardly one may be full of religious acts, but inwardly have left the first love, which is love for the Word of God (see Revelation 2:4).
Jesus Christ intentionally laid down His life. His suffering and dying was conscious and deliberate. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren” (1 John 3:16).
By choosing to obey the Scripture Jesus Christ denied Himself and took up His cross. Therefore, Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).
We must also lay down our life for the Scripture, and take up our cross just as Jesus did and God elevated Him. Scripture says, “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it” (Luke 9:24).
The Holy Bible is that cross of Christ. Jesus says, “For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father’s, and of the holy angels” (Luke 9:26).
Christ gave His back to whipping, His cheek to slapping in order to fulfil the Scripture: “I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting” (Isaiah 50:6).
At every moment of pain and humiliation, Jesus chose to obey the Scripture and demonstrated His love for the Word of God. “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8).
Jesus Christ came to show us the love of God, that the love for the Scripture is the true love for God. And we should follow His footstep: “Because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps” (1 Peter 2:21).
Whoever loves the Bible, even though they are poor, would give their “two mites” (Mark 12:42). Nothing is better and more profitable than to invest ourselves in the Scripture. No thief can steal them; no moth can destroy them (see Luke 12:33).
God wants us to have sincere love for the Scripture. Love for the Holy Bible is the righteousness of faith which works by love, as it written: “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10).
Christ is perfect because of His perfect love for the Bible. Though He is the Word, when He became a human, He obeyed the Scripture. “And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:9).
The Bible is that Author and perfect Saviour of our souls. Everyone who loves and believes the Scripture shall be saved, just as Abraham believed the Scripture, and became the friend of God because of his love for Christ (see James 2:23).
PRAYER
Heavenly Father, fill my heart with love for Christ and make me a friend of God, in Jesus name. Amen.
Now listen to life-changing Podcast:
https://benogunministries.org/podcast/love-for-christ/