Loving God as He Wants to be Loved

SCRIPTURE: 1 John 5:2-4
² This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. ³ This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, ⁴ for everyone born of God overcomes the world.

OBSERVATION: I relate to these verses from the perspective of being a parent. I know that as a parent, I want my kids to show their love for me by obeying and living by the values I taught them. If they express verbal love for me but are living in a manner contrary to what I taught them, their expressions of love mean very little to me. In fact, I feel dishonored and disrespected even if they are telling me how much they love me. God feels the same way. Verse 3 very clearly defines what love for God is; obeying His commands! And it goes on to say that His commands are not burdensome (it's something we can all do) and that when we do so, we overcome the world.

APPLICATION: If I am having difficulty in "overcoming the world" I need to check to see if I have been disobeying God in any area of my life. It's a signal to me that something is not right in my relationship with Him. If I want to live at peace and have victory over anything that would bring me down, I must love God by obeying what He tells me to do.

PRAYER: I do love You, Lord. I want to love and honor You in the way that You desire. I know You have my best interest at heart, and so, I choose to obey You, even if I don't see the "why" of it all up front. Your ways are higher than mine and Your thoughts are higher than mine. I trust that if I obey, especially in times when Your ways don't make sense to me, that You will bless my life and protect me from the evil one. Thank You for Your promises, Lord. In Jesus' Name, Amen.