To Love God is to obey Him

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” John 14:21 (NLT)
 

We know it's possible to obey God without loving Him. The Pharisees and plenty of religious people since have proven that. But the reverse isn't true. It isn't possible to love God without obeying Him - or to put it in more relational terms, without sharing His heart and carrying out his desires. And that's what obedience is, in its truest biblical sense. It's a heart connection with God that heeds His will and produces His fruit. 

Jesus gives a profound, twofold promise to those who have that kind of relationship with Him. He and the Father will love them, and He will reveal Himself to them. Both sides of that promise are remarkable: one implies that the God who loves unconditionally has a unique, conditional love for those who love Him, and the other implies that love is a condition for greater revelation. If we are lacking either - a sense of His love or a clear view of Him - then this may be the reason. Perhaps our love for Him is the problem. 

If that's the case, the solution isn't to try to muster up more love. That's futile. We can stoke it and stir it up, but we can't manufacture it. No, the solution is to ask His Spirit to fill us with His love so that we understand how deeply He loves us. "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NKJV) - meaning that a glimpse of His love will prompt a similar response in us. When we are filled with that love, obedience becomes natural and revelation increases. We begin to see Him a He is. 
 
Jesus, I do love you; help me love You more. I want to step into the relationship You have with the Father, to live out YOur will, and to see a greater revelation of You.


(This is an excerpt from One Year Experiencing God's Presence by Chris Tiegreen)

This year, experience a closer relationship with God than ever before.

All of us long for God’s presence, and we sense it―occasionally. But there are times when it seems like something’s missing . . . like deep encounters with Him. Certainty that we have heard His voice. And a palpable sense that we are experiencing His presence every day.

Like no other writer can, Chris Tiegreen draws us deeper into real intimacy with our intensely relational God. In this deluxe LeatherLike edition, The One Year Experiencing God’s Presence Devotional will cultivate your sense of God’s presence in your life, help you learn to recognize His voice, and deepen your trust that He is “always ready to help” (Psalm 46:1) in every situation.

This devotional is available at OMF Lit and Passages Bookshops, PCBS, and our online store, passagesbooks.com for P365.