IF
15 "If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. 17 This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you, and he will be in you. (John 14:15-17)
IF we love Jesus we will keep his commandments - those being, loving God with our whole selves and loving our neighbor as ourselves. IF. The implication here is that if we don't keep Jesus' commandments, then we don't actually love Jesus. But Jesus adds something, IF we love Jesus we'll keep his commandments AND the Father will send an Advocate - the Spirit of truth - to be with us.
Jesus knew, better than anyone, the cost of truly loving. So he told the disciples that God would send the Spirit of truth which would help them to keep the commandments to love. Only when we are humbled by the truth of our own flaws, failings and sin can we be gracious and forgiving enough to love one another. While the disciples, and we, wouldn't always have Jesus to convict us with the truth as he spoke it to the Scribes and Pharisees we do always have the Spirit to remind and convict us. IF we love Jesus. When we are feeling separated from God or feeling on our own through life's trials, perhaps we should step back and see IF we are living like we love Jesus - IF we are striving to see others through mercy, IF we are striving to put God's desires before our own. IF. We have access to everything we need to live and love within God's will IF we love Jesus!
18 "I will not leave you orphaned; I am coming to you. 19 In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you. 21 They who have my commandments and keep them are those who love me; and those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and reveal myself to them."
(John 14:18-21)
