“If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. Whosoever 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.”

The Lord made today and filled it with opportunities to follow Him. But He doesn’t force us to do His will.Today you may be tempted to rebel, to do your own thing. You may gossip about a co-worker, or lie to save embarrassment, or cheat on a test. Often the situation seems trivial. “I’m not breaking laws, why should God care? It doesn’t hurt anyone, why does it matter what I do in secret?” To God our Father, who knows every thought, rebelliousness is serious and causes Him great sorrow. God knows that we all have an inclination
toward disobedience. So He has not left us alone. He sends a Counselor to live within us, the Holy Spirit, Who reveals God’s will. By the Spirit, we are separated from the world and joined to our Creator and Savior. By ignoring God’s voice, we reject His greatest gift to us, Himself. If we love God, the agony of losing His presence in our lives will make us repent and love Him more.

DEAR GOD, HELP ME TO LISTEN AND DO YOUR WILL WITH EAGERNESS. MAY MY DESIRE FOR YOU OVERCOME ME WHEN I AM DISOBEDIENT AND RETURN ME TO YOU WHEN I RUN AWAY. LORD, HELP ME TO LOVE YOU MORE. AMEN.

– Shared by Katherine McDanie