How to Love and Obey

 “This is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.” – 1 John 5:3-4

All through his first letter to the early church, the Apostle John writes to show us how obedience, love, hunger and belief work together in the life of a man or woman who follows Jesus Christ. It boils down to this: If you truly believe in God, you will love God. And if you love God, you will be hungry for His Word and will love obeying His commands—especially His command to love God’s children.

The final chapter of John’s letter begins: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves His child as well” (1 John 5:1). In other words, every believer and follower of Jesus Christ has been reborn into the family of God. So, we must love our Christian brothers and sisters—even those who are hard to love. God’s family sticks together and loves each other no matter what. And if a Christian is diligent in obeying Christ’s lesser commands, he’ll be diligent in obeying Christ’s much greater command: to “Love one another.”

But why is obeying God so hard? Sometimes when we’re going through trials or temptations, we may find ourselves saying, “God, I can’t take much more of this! I’ve had all I can take!” Well, if you’re a Christian, and your yoke is too hard to pull, then you’re likely pulling the wrong yoke. In Matthew 11:28-30, Jesus says, “Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me…. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” And John tells us in vs. 3 and 4: “His commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.”

God’s commands are impossible to follow—in your own strength. But with the Holy Spirit living inside you, God’s impossible commands become much more possible. And their heavy weight becomes much, much lighter.

 If you are a Christian, you are a child of God. And your new identity as a child of God carries with it an assurance that you will overcome the temptations and trials of this world. As a child of God, you will share God’s victory. As John continues in verse 4, “This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” Through God, we can overcome the immorality of this world, and by knowing His word we can gain victory over the heresies promoted by false teachers. Elsewhere in the New Testament, we read of how we can even overcome physical persecution.

 Here are 3 Life Lessons we can take from this great passage:

 Life Lesson #1: In God’s Kingdom, love and obedience always go hand in hand. So, obeying Christ’s commands proves that your love for God and your Christian family members is real. In John 14:15, Jesus tells us plainly, “If you love Me, you will obey what I command.” He could just as easily have said, “If you love your fellow Christians, you will obey what I command.”

Life Lesson #2: If you are a committed Christian who feels like God’s commands are burdensome, do a heart check. The more your heart loves God, the easier His laws will be to follow.  It’s true: The more you love someone, the easier it is to serve them. The same holds true with God. So, spend more time in the Psalms—especially Psalm 119—and fall deeper and deeper in love with God. I guarantee you: His laws will get lighter and lighter.

Life Lesson #3: If you’ve been born again into God’s Kingdom, you are an overcomer by birth—born into God’s family to share God’s victory over temptations and trials. 

Dane Davis is the pastor of Impact Christian Church, meeting Sundays at 8:30 and 10 a.m. at 16209 Kamana Road in Apple Valley. For more information, visit www.GreaterImpact.cc.