Look for the Commands!

"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.”

John 14:15-17

Only once in my life have I “officially” gone to a counseling session as the one to be counseled. It was shortly after our daughter had died in an automobile accident and I was deeply troubled probably because after telling her she could not go on the picnic that day I relented and let her go on what would be her final journey.

The counselor listened as I poured out my heart. I had been wrestling with personal guilt and the “why did I change my mind and let her go” question. I don’t think the counselor said much at all, but after the session I was comforted and able to walk out and go on with my life.

In John 14 Jesus says that when I obey His commands the Holy Spirit comes to live in me as my counselor. There is obviously a difference in the two.

A counselor doesn’t issue commands. A counselor comforts and gently leads you in the right direction. The Holy Spirit as my Counselor does not tell me that I have to do this or that. The Holy Spirit listens to me as I pour out my heart and gently encourages me to go the right direction in my life.

Jesus talked about obeying His commands before the Counselor is given. Jesus is not the Counselor now. He did fulfill that role with His disciples while He walked this earth with them. But now the Counselor is the Holy Spirit. Jesus is the one who gives the commands.

If I were to say what His commands are we would immediately enter into a theological debate. We will do that at another time. For now suffice it to say that before the promised Holy Spirit comes into your life you must be obedient to the commands of Jesus.

What we want to believe is that once we learn about the Counselor then the commands are superseded by the comforter. They are not! Being an obedient child of God is not an optional part of the Christian life. It is essential.

Years ago I heard a story about an old man who spent most of the night reading his Bible while staying with a young friend. In the morning his friend asked him why he had missed a night of sleep. The old man said that he wanted to find out if he loved Jesus. The bewildered young man responded, “You have been a Christian for more than fifty years. Why do you ask that question?” The old man responded, “Jesus said, “If you love Me you will keep my commands.” I am looking to see if there are any of His commands I have not kept.

So today I would encourage you allow the Counselor to do His work in your life, but also LOOK FOR THE COMMANDS OF JESUS!