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John 14:23 (NKJV) 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.

The Christian life as presented today is mostly “what God can do for YOU!” complete with promises of a blessed life, God’s “best” for you and of course material prosperity.  The Bible however is more about obedience not personal prosperity. Over and over in Scripture the clearest and most often declared proof of genuine salvation is OBEDIENCE (particularly the Book of 1st John).

What does “obey” mean? It means doing what God says no matter how you feel, no matter what you’ve experienced, even if it doesn’t fit your plans or expectations, and regardless if you understand or agree.

Why? Because obedience exposes much about us: gratitude (for being saved); humility (understanding our status compared to God’s); trust (you obey God trusting He knows what is best) and faith (truly living out your professed Christianity).

Think It Over: How many parts of your life can you say “I know what the Bible says, I know what God wants, I know what God commands but because of ______________, I’m not going to obey.”  If obedience is a primary indicator genuine salvation, what does a continued refusal to obey indicate? An absence of salvation? Or a Believer in danger of God’s discipline? Could be either.