Love is used to describe a lot of things that have nothing to do with love. The Apostle John tells us this is love, that you obey God’s commandments. It is how we show our love to God and how our love is evident to those around us. Jesus said that the world will know that we follow him by our love for one another.
2 John 1:6, 9
“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” “Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son.”
Love is Obedience
Love is obedience. Not something you are going to see on a Valentine’s day card. That is because God looks at love differently than we do. He considers love in two parts; grace and truth. His grace has been extended to us through the death of His Son on the cross. His love for us was so deep He gave up His only Son. His truth is what He expects us to adhere to. If we just focus on His grace, then God’s love becomes an emotional roller coaster. We feel good when we are doing things right but then feel guilty when things are going bad. His truth is what we follow and obey.
Love Your Neighbor
Obedience to God’s word is paramount to a Christians life. We are to obey his word. The hard part is that our heart is rebellious and wants its way. We show our love for the Lord by being obedient. Jesus broke it down into two simple commands: Love the Lord God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. This is love.