Verse: 1 John 2:3-5
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
Devotion:
I think it's interesting how John combines the themes of love and obedience in this passage (and others). Obedience gets kind of a bad rap these days. There is a definitely a push to be yourself and "you do you." But as a follower of Jesus, there is a higher call than just doing what we want.
What I think is so powerful is that Jesus doesn't just ask for obedience, he invites us to a loving relationship. Obedience then flows out of that love. As we love God, the evidence of that love is a life transformed by obedience to his commands.
I think part of the reason that is true is that as we get closer to Jesus and experience his love more, we begin to fully trust him. And so even when his commands are challenging, we have come to know that his ways are what are best for us. And so obedience flows more naturally from that place of love and relationship.
Today I encourage you to pray for God to reveal his love to you more, and that his love would inspire you to greater levels of obedience to his word!