The Bible in four words: love God, love others. Jesus agreed that the entire law of Moses could be summed up in these two phrases. But what does it mean to love God? How do we express our love for Him? Well, Jesus’ answer to this question is recorded quite clearly in John 14 & 15. In fact, He repeats it five times just so we don’t miss it. Here is just one example:
Those of you who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to them. – John 14:21
I love this verse because it very clearly defines how Jesus expects us to express our love for Him. I also think it is pretty cool because I’m a math guy and this verse reads like an equation:
Accept His commandments + Obey His commandments = Love for Him.
- Accept His commandments – I must first know, understand and believe His commandments. This requires me to spend regular time in His Word so that I am familiar with Jesus’ instructions to me as I grow and mature as a person and a Christian.
- Obey His commandments – After I know what His commandments are, I must obey them (James 1:22-25). Knowing them isn’t enough. Jesus did not say we should strive to merely understand Him, but to obey Him.
- Love for Him – Somehow, our love for God is expressed through accepting and obeying His commandments. The little ones and the big ones. The easy ones and the difficult ones. He said if we do what He asks us to do we are showing our love for Him.
By the way, Jesus went on to say that if we love Him in this way, He will return that love to us and “reveal” Himself to us. Somehow love expressed in obedience will get us that prize we seek: the character of Christ and intimacy with Him.
Are you stuck in your faith? Not sure where to go from here? Do you sometimes lament that your family or your Life Group or your Church just isn’t helping you grow?
Do what Jesus tell us in John 14 & 15: obey God in everything.
