Loving God #4—Obedient Love

Jesus said, “Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, is the one who loves me. And those who love me will be loved by my Father, and I will love them and manifest myself to them.” John 14:21

Genuine affections in our hearts come to perfection—to completion—as they move us to action. Genuine joy about some aspect of our lives generates grace, the activities we design so others can share that joy with us. We perfect genuine delight in how well someone did something by praising the person who did it. We perfect our joy for what someone did for us by expressing gratitude. So what does Jesus say we should expect to see in our lives if we genuinely love God? Obedience! If we love the Son, we will obey him; if we love the Father, we will obey him. If we truly value the Father for all that he is for us in Jesus, we will value their instructions for how to live as citizens of their kingdom. The psalmist did. He celebrated the benefits of God’s instructions: they restore our souls, make us wise, bring us joy in their clarity, and cause us to see life clearly. They are more desirable than gold and sweeter than honey to the tastebuds of our hearts. They are not burdensome because they can be summarized easily: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The consequences of perfecting our love this way are great! Not only will other people benefit from our presence in their lives, but God will perfect his love for us through the presence and ministry of the Holy Spirit.

Loving Lord, guide me with your commands. Incline my heart to walk in your way, for walking in it with you is delightful.