Read 1 John 2:1–6
If anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.
1 John 2:5
Obedience to God’s Word is proof of our love for Him. There are
three motives for obedience. We can obey because we have to, because
we need to, or because we want to.
Slaves obey because they have to. If they don’t obey, they will be
punished. Employees obey because they need to. They may not enjoy
their work, but they do enjoy getting their paychecks! They need to
obey because they have a family to feed and clothe. But Christians are
to obey their heavenly Father because they want to—for the relationship between them and God is one of love: “If you love me, you will
obey what I command” (John 14:15).
This is the way we learned obedience when we were children. First,
we obeyed because we had to. If we didn’t obey, we were spanked! But as
we grew up, we discovered that obedience meant enjoyment and reward,
so we started obeying because it met certain needs in our lives. And it was
a mark of real maturity when we started obeying because of love.
“Baby Christians” must constantly be warned or rewarded.
Mature Christians listen to God’s Word and obey it simply because
they love Him.
Something to Ponder
What are some of God’s commands you obey primarily out of obligation? Which do you obey because of the benefits you receive? Are
there any you obey out of sheer love?