Obeying God: The Measure of Our Love
John 14:15-24
People express love in many ways. Some buy gifts while others choose acts of service. In addition, love is communicated through the words we choose – our expressions can be simple or elaborate, frequent or occasional. So how do we decide the best way to show love? We may let our financial situation dictate which gifts we give as a gesture of affection. The availability of time will impact our acts of service. How we verbally communicate love relates to our personality, our upbringing and our culture. But if we want others to experience love, the most important factor is determining what makes them feel loved.
God has told us how He recognizes that we love Him. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments (John 14:15).” Each time we obey God, we are saying, “I love You, Lord.” When we worship Him in spirit and truth in our churches (John 4:24) or when we meditate on His Word and apply it to our lives, He sees us expressing love. Each time we wait on Him in prayer, He acknowledges it as an act of love. When we submit to those in authority over us or to our brothers and sisters in Christ (Ephesians 5:21), we are proclaiming, “I love You.” When we obey even when the way is unclear, the conflict is strong, or complying means sacrificing what we want, we are shouting out, “I love You.”
As God’s children, we want to express love repeatedly to our Father. Each act of obedience to His commandments does just that!
Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries