For Jesus, it was unthinkable that He would love His Father and fail to obey Him (John 14:31).  Pleasing a person you love is the essence of relationship.  And so Jesus used the same test for the disciples.  If they loved Him, they would obey Him; and if they failed to obey, they would reveal their lack of love.  Judas Iscariot had previously walked out of the conversation (John 13:30), but those who stayed, listening to God’s Word, were given a very special command and a special promise.
 
Love, as designed by God, never ends.  Although Jesus was going back to heaven, He promised His disciples that their relationship with Him would continue.  Instead of His visible, physical presence alongside them – the Holy Spirit would come to live inside them.  They would know the Holy Spirit because He has exactly the same character as Jesus.  The precious relationship they had begun to enjoy with God the Son would continue with God the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is described by a Greek word which means ‘the person who comes alongside’.  This is sometimes translated as ‘Comforter’ – who comes alongside the sick, sad or lonely with healing help, ‘Advocate’ who comes alongside to represent an accused person, ‘Encourager’ who comes alongside a person who feels they cannot go on, ‘Consoler’ who comes alongside the distressed or distraught with love.  He is the Spirit of Truth, and He never lies to make people feel better but points them to Jesus helping them to understand what He is saying (John 16:13).  
 
It should be unthinkable that we can say that we love God when we refuse to do what He says.  How can that be a real relationship with our Creator?  But as we learn to trust, obey and serve the Lord Jesus (and His gospel), we find that our relationship grows because the Holy Spirit is at work inside us.  He enables us to understand how to please Jesus, and He gives us the power to serve wholeheartedly and well.  And He has promised never to leave us or forsake us (Matthew 28:20).