Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” —John 14:23.
At many Christian funerals and memorials, the preacher emphasizes that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us to join him in heaven but will one day come back for us and bring us home with him (John 14:1-3). Just a few verses later, the Lord deepens his promise. He promises that if we love him and obey him, he will love us and reveal himself to us (John 14:21). On top of that, he and the Father will love us and make their home in us until we can go home to be with them (John 14:23). As we love God and obey Jesus’ commandments, our relationship, closeness, and experience of God’s presence as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit deepen because they live inside us and make their home with us. Obeying Jesus’ teaching is our pathway to a closer walk with God!