I was thinking this morning that my prayer life has been a bit dry lately, which makes my devotions less than satisfying. Then I wondered, Unsatisfying to whom? Well, to me.
I am still praying, still reading the Bible, still helping others in need, still living out my beliefs, still confessing my sins and asking forgiveness. I don’t think God is unhappy about any of that. In fact, He’s probably glad I’m doing all those things even though I’m not “getting anything out of it.”
Jesus makes it clear in the book of John that devotion is not emotion. After the Last Supper the disciples are confused, upset, and desperately worried about his impending departure. And instead of saying, “If you love me, you’ll know it by how you feel when you pray,” Jesus tells them something else:
“If you love me, keep my commands.” John 14:15
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me.” John 14:21
“Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching.” John 14:23
“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love.” John 15:10
“You are my friends if you do what I command.” John 15:14
Keep obeying. Keep praying. Keep serving. Keep praising. Jesus’ love for us isn’t measured by how he felt on the cross, but by what he did. Our love for him needs to be measured the same way.
