John 14:15 – “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (NKJV)
Walking in obedience to God can seem really difficult if love is not the foundation for our obedience. It may feel like we have this continuous burden to keep doing “good things” to please God in our own effort.
In contrast, when love is what fuels our obedience, it no longer becomes a task but rather a natural response of a grateful heart to a loving Father. The love of Christ truly has an effect on our character as we go deeper in relationship with Him.
We must be reminded that as we obey Him, we are showing our love for Him. When our obedience is tied to love, it will flow seamlessly. After all, Jesus tells us in the Bible that His burden is easy and His yoke is light.
This means that God has not made obeying Him hard, His commandments are not grievous (1 John 5:3) and He has also given us His Spirit to help us.
What we need to do is to keep growing in our relationship with Him through prayer and fellowship with fellow saints. This way, we will love Him more and more and will inevitably walk in greater and greater obedience to Him. If we love Him, we will keep His commandments.
1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.(NKJV)
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me first and giving me the grace to love you. Help me to love you more and more each day so that I can obey your will. Please, remove the love of the world that prevents me from loving you fully. In Jesus name. Amen.