“Whoever says, ‘I know him,’ but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person. But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must live as Jesus did.“
1 John 2:4-6
“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.“
1 John 5:2-3
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.“
John 14:21
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JANUARY 1, 2025
As love songs and parents of small children know, love is not merely words and sentiments—it requires action. If you claim to love someone but don’t do anything about it, the words become more insult than blessing.
As the Bible makes clear, this is also true with our love for God. Praising the Lord with songs and words is one of the most gratifying experiences in life, but these passions are meant to go along with actions, just as they do in our earthly loves.
The author of 1 John makes it clear: if we say we love God but don’t obey Him, we are liars. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and the truth of our love is in our actions. This person, Jesus says in John 14, is the one who truly loves God and will see God.
In other words, loving God is not something we can do for an hour on Sunday morning. Loving God is something we aim to do with our entire lives—our heart, soul, mind, and strength. Not perfectly, of course. We try and fail; we forget, remember, and try again. We stumble and fall, but then pick ourselves up and start over.
As we saw yesterday, we do not love God in a spirit of fear, but within the embrace of perfect love. He is a gentle Shepherd, a good Father who delights in lavishing grace upon His children, and “His commands are not burdensome.” These scriptures also describe an inherent reward found in the command: God’s love made complete in us, inheritance in the Kingdom, Jesus revealed among us.
Without a doubt, this love is a whole-life proposition, not something we can do on the side. Fueled by His love and grace, requiring our attention and action every day of our lives, this life-work results in His Kingdom among us.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What part of the journey of actively loving God are you on today?
- Are you walking forward courageously, discouraged after a fall, or one of a million places in between?
- My prayer is that today you are encouraged by His grace to stand up and continue this joyful, active journey of loving God.
Church Reading Plan: Genesis 1; Matthew 1