If we love and obey God, we know that we will love his children. We show our love for God by obeying his commandments and they are not hard to follow.
Observation
John has a theology which places love at the centre of everything in the christian life.
- God's love for us comes first
- When we know we are loved, we love God back.
- Love for God leads to obedience and holiness
- Love for God leads to love for our brothers and sisters.
The christian life is not about adherence to a rigid set of rules which must be obeyed without question. Neither is it a private matter between God and us.
Christianity is above all else relational- God's love for me, my love for God, and love experienced in community.
What an awesome God!
Application
To love God means to obey what he wants, which includes loving other people. Love and holiness go together. To be holy means I will love those whom God loves.
This isn't always easy, despite John saying that the commandments of God are not hard to follow.
Prayer
Father, help me to honour you by loving those around me. Sometimes I find this hard to do, so I ask for that special grace to enable me to do this. Amen.
quote; God's love for us comes firstWhen we know we are loved, we love God back.Good article, strong pointI remember years ago hearing that God was looking for a "depth in the relationship his people have with Him" Thinking on this a few days ago realized how can one person show how deep relationship is with the Lord unless God Himself shows that person how deeply He loves that person and all his creation. Blessed we are to receive this knowledge, what can we do but respond in return.Anchored in the Rock, rooted and grounded in Him, having a sure foundation, what surety, what a future and a hope, what salvation. :happy:
ReplyDeleteThanks for that Iamme2. God wants our love, but we so often just settle for religion with all of its ugliness- self-righteousness, judgmentalism, legalism etc.God bless you.
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