The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.
Into the Text
Jesus says that obedience to God is the true test of our love for God. We can say that we have faith in God and that we love Him. If we refuse to obey Him, our words are meaningless. If our faith and love are real, they will always lead to obedience.Â
The kind of obedience God wants from us is not out of a sense of burdensome duty but a joyful, willing love. When you truly love and admire someone, you are happy to do what they ask of you. That’s because real love is more than just a feeling. It’s a deep emotional response of being devoted to someone. It’s the same for us when we love God. We will delight in His laws because we are devoted to the One who gave us these laws.
We are not saved because of our obedience. Rather, because we are saved, we want to obey. We love the God who saved us, and obedience is the fruit growing from this tree of love. So when we feel that we lack an obedient heart, the answer is to pray for deeper love for God.Â
When we love and obey God, He reveals more of Himself to us. So often we say that we want more of Jesus, but we aren’t sure how. This answer is to know His Word and His commandments by the power of the Holy Spirit living within you. The more we know Him, the more we will love Him. Obey Him out of grateful love for Him, and the God of the universe will show you more of Himself.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I want more of you. I don’t want to just think about obeying your commandments, I want to do it. Holy Spirit, please help me to obey, not in word alone but in action. Amen.