Obedience is Love

John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

What would you do for your children and grandchildren? What acts/behaviors would you do for their well-being, joy and safety? What would you do to be closely united to them? Why do you do what you do?

You do what you do, because you love them. This faithfulness to them is an act of obedience. It doesn’t feel like obedience because normally we associate that gritty word with acts we don’t want to do but should. But when it comes to our kids, we want to “do what’s right” because we love them so it doesn’t feel like obedience.

Now take that mindset and apply it to God. We desire to do His will because we love Him. When we know God to a certain depth; His truth, goodness, freedom, peace, rest, joy which are all consumed in love, then we want nothing more than to be united to Him. He is life. He is love. He is the home of our desires. He is our great reward. He is our portion. We desire as much unity as possible, so we strive to walk His paths (obedience) so that we walk with Him.

Love is based on truth; not assumptions or lies because then there is no true bond. It would be all imaginary. Therefore, an aspect of true love is we don’t assume we know what pleases another; we want to make sure we know, therefore we seek. We want to know what brings another joy and delight. We want to know what will foster a deeper purer union. When we do and we act upon that knowledge, then the union solidifies because we are walking within an oneness of will and mind.

When we truly love God or want to love Him, we desire to know Him and His will. We don’t want ignorance, fears or anything else to separate us from Him; therefore we seek. We long to be as close as possible to God even to walk in His footsteps. Therefore we seek the truth of His will in the Bible with the instruction of the Holy Spirit and walk in that will. It’s our utmost desire because of the love we feel.

How can we do what we don’t know? How can we know without seeking? If we truly are desiring unity with God we will seek to know Him. We will have a passion and hunger for His truth so we can walk in unity with Him.

As we draw near in truth, we begin to surrender to whatever God’s will may be because of His inherent perfection. We fight any compulsion to hold back because we’ve experienced and know His goodness. When you know His goodness and love, you can let go and trust.

Therefore, obedience is the fruit of love, or love in action. It’s the result of knowing God and His truth finding its home in our soul. If we are seeking a true union with God, then we will desire to obey. Our life will show the fruit of that obedience. Faith (belief in and love of God) without works (walking in His truths) is dead. If there is no fruit of walking in His truth, then the truth isn’t in us.

Salvation comes by grace. A testimony that we understand this gift given to us is obedience. Salvation came from God that we might be united to Him. If we aren’t fostering unity in cultivating a deep and real relationship, we missed the whole point of that saving grace. Our heart to walk the path of life that fosters unity with God reveals our understanding of the grace we’ve been shown. It isn’t self-imposed obedience that anyone could do that testifies to our awareness. It’s the flowing desire to want to obey and walk in God’s truth because that truth is in us. Heart-motivated obedience comes from God’s spirit within us.

If you feel resistance to walking in God’s will, then you simply need to know God deeper. When you seek to know Him with all your heart, soul and mind you will encounter His magnificent love and goodness and in return you will love Him and desire Him to a point of being consumed. Therefore to be united to God in love begins by seeking to know Him personally, deeply. God desires you to be in a bond of love with Him that deepens with obedience. Seek Him in truth by abiding in the Bible with the instruction of the Holy Spirit. As you draw near you will know and abide in His love. In time, you will desire to walk in His will because you know of His goodness and that doing so enhances your union with Him.

This obedience is the kind God desires; an obedience driven by love.

John 14:15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.”

John 15:10 “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.”