We Know

I Jn. 5:3

"By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey His commandments."

Love and obedience are vitally linked. When I love God, I am obedient to His words; and similarly, when I love others, I am obedient to God's Word and thus love Him too. If this is true, then I must put all my efforts into obedience, and to do this, I must be saturated in the word. As the Spirit drives home the word to me, He teaches me what it says and how to obey it, that is, by being strengthened in the inner being through the power of the Spirit. Just like I don't purpose to love others in all that I do, I don't purpose to obey all that I read. These two things are humanly impossible. I would most certainly fail at some point, probably a sooner point than a later point. But God is asking me to surrender my will, passions, and desires to Him so that His grace will be sufficient for all I need, sufficient for loving others and obeying His word. When His grace and strength are my operating principles, and I am obedient to what the Spirit teaches me, then His love will grow producing fruit that brings glory to God.

Father,
Transform my stubborn will into a home for Your grace to produce in me a heart of love and obedience. Give me the strength to keep my hands open in submission and my ready pliable to your molding. As I love and obey You, help me to love others from a heart of grace.
In Jesus name,
Amen