Deuteronomy 11 begins with Moses instructing the Israelites to love the Lord and to keep His commandments. In verse 13 and 22, he tells the Israelites, “Obey the commands I am giving you today – to love the Lord your God. . .” Moses is emphasizing this truth: your love for God is evidenced in how you live your life.
Jesus reiterates Moses’ words in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” But immediately Jesus adds, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth.” When we look at our life situations, we always look at the world around us to understand what is true and what is not true. But when we follow Jesus, God’s Holy Spirit sheds His light into our motives and our thoughts. The motive that God wants us to have is love for God and love for people. When we love God, God’s Holy Spirit will show us the truth about ourselves and the world around us. He will lead us in truth from His word and will help us to love others in truth. In response, we will listen and do – in other words, obey.
