John 14:15 

Jesus Promises the Holy Spirit

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

I believe I love Him and I believe I will obey. What He is showing me is complicated and cannot be said in just a few words. All things must have a starting point and the following scripture is my starting point.

John 3:12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things?

We live in time, this earthly realm. When Jesus spoke about heaven, He was implying the Eternal Realm is different and more difficult to understand. He said this to Nicodemus and His words impacts millions of lives in this realm.

Implications and applications have lasting effects. We will be held accountable for what we say and do.

Revelation 20:13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.

In the eternal realm we will only be held accountable for what we have done but we live in time. In this earthly realm what we say matters and our words have consequences either good or bad. What Jesus did on earth impacted the eternal realm.

We need to understand what Jesus said in this realm and how that influences the way we speak to others at this time, in this life. While circumstances can change in this realm nothing we say will change the eternal outcome. Eternity is a finished work.

That is enough to begin with, except to say, my standard of belief comes from the Word of God, Jesus Christ, the bible. Not everyone on earth lives by that standard.

Colossians 3:1-3 English Standard Version

Put On the New Self

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

I did not know what it meant to be alive until I was born again.

John 3:3 Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Now I see.

When I was blind I should have died in Vietnam. I should have died from drug addiction, and I should have died doing many stupid things that others had died from if not for the hand of God interdicting on their behalf.

Hebrews 13:15 Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name.

I owe Him that for saving me so many times. I got the chance to repent and become a son of God.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

For me there is no “if”. I am what I am because of Jesus Christ, a child of God.