JOY: KEEPING HIS WORD STARTS WITH "KNOWING" IT "FIRST" KEEPS YOU!!!

                                                          

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JOY: KEEPING HIS WORD

 “…IF YE “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV).

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JOY seems to derive from WHAT God has DONE “FOR” the believer. “…The LORD has done great things for [you] …” (Psalms 126:3 NIV). Therefore, “…[you] … are filled with joy…” (Psalms 126:3 NIV). “…ABIDE IN ME, AND I IN YOU…” (JOHN 15:4 KJV).

“…IF YE “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV). “KEEPING” his commandments is a SIGN or PROOF of your AWARENESS of his LOVE toward YOU. “…IF YE “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV).

KEEPING God’s commandments is not simply about your obedience, or your duty, or your effort, or your human love for God. “….if ye LOVE me… keep my commandments…” (John 14:15 KJV).

 Those reasons are outward signs of your love for God, but they are a SMALL part of keeping God’s commandments. “…not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US...” (1 John 4:10 KJV).

You can NOT truly and authentically love God UNTIL you personally know his LOVE FOR YOU!! “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

KEEPING God’s commandments is MORE about God’s LOVE for you and your AWARENESS or personal EXPERIENCE of that LOVE. “….the Father hath loved me, SO have I LOVED you; CONTINUE IN MY LOVE…” (John 15:9 KJV). “…There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life…” (John 15:13 NLT). “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

The LOVE, of the believer, for God FLOWS and ORIGINATES from God’s LOVE “FIRST” for THEM “…Everything [the believer] … has come from … [God], and [they] … give [God] … only what [he] … first gave … [them]! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “…[THEY]… LOVE, because he first loved ... [THEM]…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

“…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). This verse becomes the explanation for the believer’s love for God. The believer is EMPOWERED to love God BECAUSE he “FIRST loves them.

Therefore, no man or woman can boast of their LOVE for God, but ONLY of his LOVE for them. “…not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US...” (1 John 4:10 KJV).

It is God’s LOVE that is applauded, praised, and boasted upon. “…This is what the Lord says: “Don’t let the wise boast in their wisdom, or the powerful boast in their power, or the rich boast in their riches. But those who wish to boast should boast in this alone: that they truly know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love…” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT).

The believer is EMPOWERED to receive God’s LOVE and ABIDE in it by “KEEPING” his commandments. “…The LORD has done great things for [you] …” (Psalms 126:3 NIV). “…IF YE “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV).

KEEPING God’s commandment is NOT merely or reduced to the believer’s obedience and duty. It is the WAY in which God has established for them to EXPERIENCE ABIDING in God’s LOVE. “… “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS … ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV).

The believer EXPERIENCES God’s love, for them personally, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “….The love of God is shed abroad in … [their] … hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto ... [them]…” (Romans 5:5 KJV).

This LOVE does “NOT” begin with the believer’s love for God, but God’s LOVE for them. “…not that we loved God...” (1 John 4:10 KJV). “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

God liberally POURS and DIFFUSES his own LOVE into the heart of the believer through the HOLY SPIRIT. “…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us…” (Romans 5:5 NIV). “ … renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior… “ (Titus 3:4-6 NIV). “…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son “INTO” OUR HEARTS…” (Galatians 4:6 NASB). “…The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE …” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).

It is God’s wondrous LOVE that searches out, captures, arrests, draws, atones, saves, and indwells the sinner, by faith in JESUS CHRIST. “…God so loved the world …” (John 3:16 KJV). “…not that we loved God, but that HE LOVED US...” (1 John 4:10 KJV). “…God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ DIED FOR US…” (Romans 5:8 KJV).

By GRACE through FAITH God drenches the believer’s heart, generously, with his LOVE, through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “…God is love…” (1 John 4:4-8 KJV). “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).  “…The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE …” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).  “…The Spirit of God dwell[s] … in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV).  “…The Lord is that Spirit … [too]…” (2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV). “…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son “INTO” OUR HEARTS…” (Galatians 4:6 NASB). “…Jesus Christ is in you…” (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV). “…Christ in you, …” (Colossians 1:27 KJV).

“…Everything [the believer] … has (including love) come from … [God], and [they] … give [God] … only what [he] … first gave … [them]! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

The bible verse states: “…IF YE “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV). To “keep,” in this context, basically refers to keeping something in one’s memory, mind, or heart.

A believer is EMPOWERED, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, to “KEEP” God’s commandment in his or her memory, on their minds, and within their hearts. ^“…It is God who works in … [the believer] … to will(to choose to keep) and to act (keep) in order to fulfill his good purpose…” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). ^“… God…EQUIP[S] … [them] … with everything good for doing his will…” (Hebrews 13:20-21 NIV).

God SUPPLIES “ALL” the believer’s need. He supplies the indwelling POWER that enables the believer to “KEEP” his commandments. “…God will supply all [your need]…” (Philippians 4:19 NASB). “…God will generously PROVIDE all you need. Then you will always have everything you need …” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT).

“…ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV). Having the RIGHT perspective about God’s LOVE for YOU, personally, will heavily influence the love YOU have for God. “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

God’s LOVE is so abundant and overflowing, within the believer, they have enough to RETURN that love to God and share with others. “…my cup runneth over…” (Psalms 23:5 KJV). “…God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others…” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT).

God is called El Shaddai BECAUSE he is the God of MORE than enough. The name El Shaddai is based on Genesis 17:1 which refers to him as, “…the Almighty God…” In this context God is seen as the abundant “provider” or “all sufficient one.”

Further, from the beginning of time, God has been El Shaddai, who is more than able to meet the needs of his people in any and every situation or circumstance! Your God is EL SHADDAI.

The LOVE the believer has for God has been GIVEN to him or her. “…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us…” (Romans 5:5 NIV).

God’s indwelling Spirit EMPOWERS, the believer, to GIVE back or RETURN love to him. “… [They] … give [God] … only what [he] … first gave … [them]! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT).

So the believer can ONLY GIVE or return to God what has FIRST been GIVEN to them through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “… only what [he] … first gave … [them]! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts…” (Romans 5:5 NIV).

Here’s an example:  “…King David turned to the entire assembly and said, “My son Solomon, whom God has clearly chosen as the next king of Israel, is still young and inexperienced. The work ahead of him is enormous, for the Temple he will build is not for mere mortals—it is for the Lord God himself! Using every resource at my command, I have gathered as much as I could for building the Temple of my God. Now there is enough gold, silver, bronze, iron, and wood, as well as great quantities of onyx, other precious stones, costly jewels, and all kinds of fine stone and marble. “And now, because of my devotion to the Temple of my God, I am giving all of my own private treasures of gold and silver to help in the construction. This is in addition to the building materials I have already collected for his holy Temple. I am donating more than 112 tons of gold from Ophir and 262 tons of refined silver to be used for overlaying the walls of the buildings and for the other gold and silver work to be done by the craftsmen. Now then, who will follow my example and give offerings to the Lord today?” Then the family leaders, the leaders of the tribes of Israel, the generals and captains of the army, and the king’s administrative officers all gave willingly. For the construction of the Temple of God, they gave about 188 tons of gold,10,000 gold coins, 375 tons of silver, 675 tons of bronze, and 3,750 tons of iron. They also contributed numerous precious stones, which were deposited in the treasury of the house of the Lord under the care of Jehiel, a descendant of Gershon. The people rejoiced over the offerings, for they had given freely and wholeheartedly to the Lord, and King David was filled with joy. Then David praised the Lord in the presence of the whole assembly: “O Lord, the God of our ancestor Israel, may you be praised forever and ever! Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. “O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us! We are here for only a moment, visitors and strangers in the land as our ancestors were before us. Our days on earth are like a passing shadow, gone so soon without a trace.  “O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you! I know, my God, that you examine our hearts and rejoice when you find integrity there. You know I have done all this with good motives, and I have watched your people offer their gifts willingly and joyously. “O Lord, the God of our ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, make your people always want to obey you. See to it that their love for you never changes. Give my son Solomon the wholehearted desire to obey all your commands…” (1 Chronicles 29:1-20 NLT).

“…Who am I, and who are my people, that we could GIVE anything to you?” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). Believers are finite men and women made from the dust of the ground. However, they have been saved by his grace and undeserving mercy.

They didn’t earn it nor were they worthy to receive ANYTHING from God at all. Therefore, “...Everything … [they] … have has come from …[God], and … [they can] … give …[God]… only what …[he]… first gave .. [them]!” (1 Chronicles 29:1-20 NLT).

In order, for the believer to have a LOVE worthy and honorable to GIVE or return to the holy God, he or she must first be GIVEN that holy LOVE from the HOLY God. “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “…WE GIVE you only what you first gave us! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “…What do ..[we]… have that God hasn’t given …[us]? ...” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT).

“…O Lord our God, even this material we have gathered to build a Temple to honor your holy name comes from you! It all belongs to you!...” (1 Chronicles 29 NLT). The ability to truly LOVE God and “KEEP” God’s commandments comes from the Holy Spirit alone! “…I will put a NEW SPIRIT in you…” (Ezekiel 36:26 NLT). “….Apart from Me, you can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV).

  There is nothing a believer has received that did not come from God. “…[The TRUE believer knows] …that everything … [they] … “HAVE” IS A GIFT “FROM” …[God]…” (John 17:6-9 NLT).

Therefore, when they give back or return anything to God; they are giving BACK or RETURNING only what they “first” received FROM God. “…WE GIVE you only what you first gave us! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT).

No matter how much man GIVES or RETURNS to God; God is NEVER in debt to ANYONE. “…who has given him so much that he (God) needs to pay it back?^” (Roman 11:35 NLT).

However, God is so good; when you do GIVE or RETURN to him; he will pay it back because of his loving, generous, and kind, nature. “…‘We’ve GIVEN up everything to follow you…” (Mark 10:28-31 NLT). And Jesus said to him, “…I assure you that everyone who has GIVEN UP house or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or property, for MY SAKE and for the GOOD NEWS, will “RECEIVE NOW” in return a hundred times as many houses, brother, sisters, mothers, children, and property – along with persecution. And in the world to come that person will have eternal life...” (Mark 10:28-31 NLT).

God’s love is generously DIFFUSED into the hearts of the believer through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us…” (Romans 5:5 NIV).

It is God’s LOVE toward the believer that is copious, abundant, generous, and unlimited. “…God will generously PROVIDE all you need. …” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT). “…The Lord is my shepherd; I SHALL not want. … …” (Psalms 23 KJV).

“…IF YE “KEEP” MY COMMANDMENTS, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV). Recognition of God’s LOVE is the motivation behind the believer “KEEPING” God’s commandments.

Returning God’s love is NOT about routine obligation, complacent duty, forced obedience, or some imagined dictatorship. “….if ye LOVE me… keep my commandments…” (John 14:15 KJV). “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

“…he first loved … [you]…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “… [You] … give [God] … only what [he] … first gave … [you]! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). The believer RETURNS God’s LOVE by “KEEPING” his commandments.

The believer is motivated, to willingly choose, to RETURN this LOVE to God in RECOGNITION of God’s copious and abundant LOVE which he FIRST showed to them. “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

“KEEPING” God’s command is the believer’s RECOGNITION of the GREAT, AWESOME, ABUNDANT, and EVERLASTING LOVE God has toward THEM.

God’s LOVE is EXPRESSED through the indwelling Holy Spirit. “…The Spirit of God dwell[s] … in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV).  “…The fruit of the Spirit is LOVE …” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV).

The Spirit of his LOVE was GIVEN to the believer. “… A man can RECEIVE nothing, except it be GIVEN HIM FROM HEAVEN…” (John 3:27 KJV).  “…God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son “INTO” OUR HEARTS…” (Galatians 4:6 NASB).  “…GOD IS SPIRIT…” (John 4:24 KJV).  “…The Spirit of God dwell[s] … in you…” (Romans 8:9 KJV). “…Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you…” (1 Corinthians 6:19 KJV). “…God hath said, I will dwell in them …” (2 Corinthians 6:16 KJV).

The RECOGNITION of God’s LOVE toward the believer, by faith, makes them understand that God has FILLED their hearts, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, with LOVE and JOY. “… BY FAITH we UNDERSTAND (become AWARE of) …that what we now see (recognize) did not come from anything that can be seen…” (Hebrews 11 NLT). “…The fruit of the … [invisible] … Spirit is LOVE, JOY …” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “….The … [invisible] …Spirit of God dwelleth in you…” (1 Corinthians 3:16 KJV).

The believer’s love for God and his or her ability to “keep” God’s command is totally supported by the indwelling Holy Spirit. “…I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” (Philippians 4:13 KJV). ^“…It is God who works in [his people]… to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:13 NIV). “….Apart from [Jesus], you can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV).

The believer’s love for God is contingent upon God’s love for them. “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

The believer’s flesh gets WEAK and does NOT always willingly CHOOSE God’s way, but the indwelling spirit is ALWAYS willing to, continually, CHOOSE God’s way. “…Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak...” (Matthew 26:41 NIV). “…For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak…” (Mark 14:38 NLT).

God’s, indwelling spirit, is always willing to EMPOWER his people and “… strengthened …[them] …with might by his Spirit in the inner man…” (Ephesians 3:16 KJV).

The LOVE of God is SUFFICIENT in HELPING the believer “KEEP” his commandments. “…If you are trying … [in your flesh] … to make yourselves right with God by keeping the … [commandment], you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s GRACE…” (Galatians 2:21 NLT). “…God is able to make all GRACE abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things…” (2 Corinthians 8:9 KJV). “…My GRACE is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness...” (2 Corinthians 12:9 KJV). “...Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of GRACE … and find GRACE to help in time of need…” (Hebrews 4:16 KJV).

The believer’s LOVE for God is fueled by God’s LOVE for them “…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, …” (Romans 5:5 NIV). “…WE LOVE, because he first loved us…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “….if ye LOVE me… keep my commandments…” (John 14:15 KJV). “…IF ye “KEEP” My commandments, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV).
 God can confidently instruct the believer to “KEEP” his commandment, because he is the one who EMPOWERS them to do it. .“…God …worketh in [them]… both to will and to do…” (Philippians 2:13 KJV). “…[They are]… strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…” (Ephesians 3:16 KJV).

God supplies and provides everything the believer needs to live a successful Christian life, including the ability to love him and “keep” his commandments. “…God will supply all [your need]…” (Philippians 4:19 NASB). “…And God will generously provide all you need…” (2 Corinthians 9:8 NLT). “…God is the one who provides ….In the same way, he will provide and increase YOUR RESOURCES …” (2 Corinthians 9:10-13 KJV). “…God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, …” (Romans 5:5 NIV).“…His divine power hath GIVEN unto us ALL THINGS that pertain unto LIFE and godliness…” (2 Peter 1:3 KJV).  “[God’s] …Holy Spirit …is the SOURCE [of it ALL]…” (1 Corinthians 12: 4-11 NLT).

“…IF ye “KEEP” My commandments, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV). “…“iF” …[you] … KEEP…” is “NOT” about your human ability to “KEEP” them, because Jesus EMPOWERS you to do it, BUT it’s about YOUR choice to do it. (John 15:10 KJV).

This verse may also be understood as saying: “…IF ye…[choose to] … “KEEP” My commandments…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV). HOW? “…It is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure…” (Philippians 2:13 KJV).  “… [Believers are]…  strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man…” (Ephesians 3:16 KJV).

If YOU “choose” to “KEEP” God’s commandment, Jesus, the indwelling Spirit, becomes the guarantee that you WILL keep those commandments! “…Jesus has become the guarantor of a better covenant…” (Hebrews 7:22 NIV).

SHOUT!!! TRULY, “…The LORD has done great things for [you] …” (Psalms 126:3 NIV). “…[IF you] …wish to boast … boast in this alone: that ,,, [you] …know me and understand that I am the Lord who demonstrates unfailing love…” (Jeremiah 9:23-24 NLT).  “….Apart from Me, you can do nothing…” (John 15:5 NIV). “…WE GIVE you only what you first gave us! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “…What do ..[we]… have that God hasn’t given …[us]? ...” (1 Corinthians 4:7 NLT).

 “…[The TRUE believer knows] …that everything … [they] … “HAVE” IS A GIFT “FROM” …[God]…” (John 17:6-9 NLT).

LOVING God and KEEPING his commandments is a GIFT imparted to the believer FIRST. “…[They] … GIVE … [God] … only what … [he] … first gave … [them]! …” (1 Chronicles 29:14 NLT). “…[They] … LOVE …[God] … because he first loved … [them]…” (1 John 4:19 ASV).

A believer that is “keeping” God’s commandment is AWARE of his LOVE for them. “…[They] … LOVE …[God] … because he first loved … [them]…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). Therefore, “….if ye LOVE me… keep my commandments…” (John 14:15 KJV).

You will “CLEARLY” see the indwelling Spirit working in their lives. . “…The invisible [Spirit]…from the creation of the world …clearly seen, being understood by the things that are MADE …” (Romans 1:20 KJV). “…Jesus Christ maketh thee whole…” (Acts 9:34 KJV). “…Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a NEW creature …” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV). “…The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance…” (Galatians 5:22-23 KJV). “…Ye shall know them by their fruits…” (Matthew 7:16 KJV). “… [because] … all things are … [MADE] … NEW…” (2 Corinthians 5:17 KJV).

“KEEPING” God’s commandment is PROOF that you are AWARE of his LOVE for you, which has, obviously, influenced your LOVE for him. WHY? “…[Believers] … LOVE …[God] … because he first loved … [them]…” (1 John 4:19 ASV). “…If ye love me, keep my commandments…” (John 14:15 KJV). “…He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…” (John 14:21 KJV). “…He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings…” (John 14:24 KJV). 
The believer “KNOWS” God loves them and they are trusting and confident he will EMPOWER them to “KEEP” his commandments to the end. “…HE WHICH HATH “BEGUN” A GOOD “WORK” IN YOU WILL “PERFORM” IT until the day of Jesus Christ…” (Philippians 1:6 KJV). “…He will keep you strong to the end…” (1 Corinthians 1:8 NLT).  

“KEEPING” his commandment NOT ONLY proves your AWARENESS of his LOVE for you and your love for him, but it SECURES your “abiding” in his everlasting LOVE. “…IF ye “KEEP” My commandments, ye shall ABIDE in my LOVE…” (JOHN 15:10 KJV).