TODAY'S VERSE:

1 John 5:3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.
 
In Prep School this month we learned how the 1st two people created, Adam and Eve, were made “perfect” (sinless). God gave them only 1 rule to obey in order to remain this way - do not eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. If you know how the story ends, then you know that they disobeyed this rule and became sinners. The verse above states we show our love for God by obeying Him. How does obedience show our love?
 
Adam and Eve were thinking more of themselves than they were of God. They doubted God! They were disrespectful and disobedient to Him and His command! Bad idea! If we truly love God we will be happy to do whatever He tells us to do because it is our loving GOD who is commanding us. God’s commands aren’t burdensome (difficult to obey) for the believer because we carry them out through the power of the Holy Spirit! When we obey God, we show that we respect His authority. He is the only one we never need to doubt or mistrust! God is perfect truth and love!
 
John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
 
We have to learn how to love and obey. God is our Teacher. Through the power of God the Holy Spirit, God wants us to learn what the Bible says about Him and obey His Word. He created us and He wants a relationship with us; He wants us to return His love! God the Holy Spirit will give us the power to learn and to live a lifestyle of obeying God! He will pour God’s love into us and give us the power to love Him back. God helps us all the way and just keeps giving us His unconditional love - love that doesn’t depend on who we are, how we think, or how we act. Isn’t that a relief? We have to learn God’s word so we can know God and His love for us. Knowing God will cause us to love Him and to obey Him. By obeying God we will show our love for Him!

1 John 4:8-10 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love. By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

We love because God first loved us! He sent “His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9). Jesus Christ was perfectly obedient to God the Father and fulfilled the Father’s will. Jesus showed His love for the Father through obedience! Jesus came to save and serve mankind. He showed His love for mankind. His love is amazing, and nothing can separate us from God’s infinite love! Nothing in the universe can overcome it. You can’t reach the bottom of God’s love! His love is endless!

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, not things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

God teaches us love in the Bible and then He commands us to love – Him and others. He teaches us how to sacrifice for others. Jesus is our role model; He sacrificed His life! He respected and honored the Father. He is now seated at the right hand of God the Father in Heaven. He is the obedient, loving Son of God!

Remember, God gives us the power to obey His commands! We are commanded to love God and always put Him first!  We are to take the love, which God pours into us, and share it with others. God’s love for us will make us want to share it with others. We’ll be excited to tell others of God’s love for them. Some people really don’t have a lot of love from others. Knowing about the love of God could change their lives!
 
2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And He died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for Him who died for them and was raised again.
 
With God’s love in your heart, you can obey His commands, serve Him, and serve one another! Through your obedience, you show God that you know Him and love Him!
 
1 John 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.