Counsel of Spiritual Life

Counsel #4 — Friendship With Jesus

Picture: Counsel #4 — Friendship With Jesus CSL 54.1

Some people are motivated to obey God because they fear the judgment. Some people are motivated by shame or guilt. However, Jesus teaches us that the only obedience that is acceptable to Him stems from love.^[54] CSL 54.2

To increase your love for Jesus, meditate about His life, especially Gethsemane and the cross. Look for Him in nature. Read the account of His life in the gospels. Consider thoughtfully what He has done for you personally. Spend quiet time in prayer, asking the Spirit to give you more love for your Savior. CSL 54.3

”You are my friends if you do whatever I command you.” John 15:14 NKJV CSL 54.4

“That Christ should take human nature, and by a life of humiliation elevate man in the scale of moral worth with God; that He should carry His adopted nature to the throne of God, and there present His children to the Father, to have conferred upon them an honour exceeding that conferred upon the angels,—this is the marvel of the heavenly universe, the mystery into which angels desire to look. This is love that melts the sinner’s heart.” Ellen White in Sons and Daughters of God, p. 22 CSL 54.5

Reflect: If your motivation for obedience has been something other than love for Jesus, how could that change? CSL 54.6