As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it. There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day. For I did not speak of my own accord, but the Father who sent me commanded me what to say and how to say it. I know that his command leads to eternal life, so whatever I say is what the Father has told me to say. (John 12:47-50 NET)
You have heard the words of Jesus; your family and friends have also heard the words of Jesus in one way or another—all of us have. These words have the power to save, but they also have the power to condemn. We may think that we can do things our own way, and we can for a while, but sooner or later we will have to reckon with the words of Jesus that we have heard. If we obey them, we will walk in the light, a light that will continue to increase as time goes by and we continue to be faithful. But if we do not keep His words, we walk in the darkness, and that darkness will, in the end, completely overwhelm and destroy us.
Jesus’ words should not be taken lightly. He descended from heaven to reveal Himself to us, and to speak what the Father told Him to say. Nothing our Lord said was frivolous or careless, every single word that He spoke was intentional and carefully thought out. If we ignore His words, we do so at our own peril, and whether we know it or not, we are paying attention to the devil’s words.
Since the words of Jesus will be the standard of judgment on the day when we all stand before God, we must honestly look at ourselves and at His words…
“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father in heaven.”
Let’s rededicate ourselves to faithfully and radically obeying His words.
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