John 14:15, 21
“If you love me, you will obey my commandments. Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
How do you prove your love to someone? It’s a word we throw around a lot, but it can prove shallow when we measure it against our actions. We may tell someone we love them, yet we still betray them. Some people say, “I love you,” even after they abuse the person they say it to. For others, it’s a phrase they employ to manipulate or coerce or to try and dampen the hurt they have caused. Yet, I’m sure there are plenty of people in your life that say, “I love you” and mean it. They back it up with actions. They prove it with their deeds…their sacrifices…their service. This is the type of love Jesus calls us to.
We all know that talk is cheap…but true love is expensive. Not in terms of the cost of the gifts you give or receive, but in terms of time and actions and attitudes. Jesus demonstrated his love for the disciples in numerous ways, chiefly by dying on a cross, but also by doing the “little” things…like washing their feet. He didn’t do it primarily because he had to, but rather, because he truly wanted to. In terms of obedience to his own Father, that was driven by love, as well. Charles Spurgeon said that, “Obedience must have love for its mother, nurse, and food. The essence of obedience lies in the hearty love which prompts the deed rather than in the deed itself.”
Every Christian I know expresses love for Jesus, but we all fall short of that expression when we willfully choose to disobey his commands. Our sin does not cancel out our profession of love, but it does call its depth and strength into question. Keeping His commandments is an accurate judge of our morality, yet his emphasis was on love for others (and himself) and faith in him. Have you ever gotten one of those chocolate bunnies for Easter that was big and beautiful and looked delicious…but with one bite it is revealed to be hollow? Worse yet, they tend to be brittle and come apart easily. For some of us, that’s a pretty good word picture for our love of Christ when measured against our obedience to him.
Obedience to Christ is not arbitrary. It is not without benefit. Loving parents try to guide their children into wise living because they love them and want what’s in their best interest. Our Heavenly Father wants that—and much more—for His Children! True love involves trust, so every follower of Christ needs to measure that by their obedience to his commands. Jesus loves us enough to offer us all we need to live a life of godliness and meaning. Do we trust that His ways are best for our lives? Do we love him enough to obey? Additionally, even when we do “good things” for God…or for others…are we motivated out of our love, or something else? We can speak like angels and prophets but if we are not speaking out of love, we are just making an obnoxious noise (1 Cor. 13:1-2).
Faith without works is dead…but works without love is shallow and meaningless. Are you offering God (and others) the “hollow bunny,” or are you motivated by love to serve and sacrifice…and obey?
