1 John 5:1-5 – Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well. 2 This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. 3 In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, 4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.” Suppose someone wanted to come and visit you at your home, but made the following request “Would you please not have you son be around us?” Obviously we would be taken aback and ask “Why would you make such a request?” Then the supposed friend said “Well, I just don’t like the kid. I don’t like the way he looks at me. He just creeps me out. Don’t get me wrong, I love you, but oh your kid is creepy.” Well that person would be “Persona non grata!” We would reply to them “If you don’t like my son, if you don’t want my son in your life, then you cannot possibly love me! You are not welcome in my house, or in my life!” How much more so is it that one who does not love Jesus, the Son of God, does not love, or know God! Any and all persons who do not love Jesus cannot truly love the Father. Only through the Son is the Father found (1 Timothy 2:5).
“This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.” Jesus said that the proof of loving Him is to obey Him (John 15:14). Even in the Old Testament God showed that what he desired obedience more than apologies (1 Samuel 15:22). Family, we can firmly assert that He who truly loves God no longer wants to sin. The heart will be to please God. We cannot practice sin and still love God (1 John 3:9). Though, being in the flesh, we will continue to sin, we must never excuse it, or trample the love and grace of God and not resist but relish in sin. We must hate to sin and love and desire to not sin that we might please God (Romans 7:21-25). Those who love God love to obey and please Him.
“In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” Simply said, if we love God we love His commands. God, through Moses, gave us the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17). Through Micah, God made it easier to understand and narrowed it down to three requirements in Micah 6:8 (see below). Then Jesus pared it down to just two in Mark 12:29-31. Those two being to love God with all that we are and to love each other as we love ourselves. I truly think that Jesus gave us two because we are dull and rebellious. He could have only said “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” We have already seen in 1 John 4:7-8 that if we don’t love each other we don’t have the love of God within and so we don’t belong to God. So, if Jesus had only said the first of the two greatest commandments it would have been sufficient. Number two is inclusive in number 1. But people look for a way around what they know ought to be done. People who would rather live under rules than guided by the Spirit would rather live so because it is easier. Just do what it says. However, it is also easier to avoid doing what ought to be done because the law did not specifically say to do it. For example, Mom tells Johnny to make sure his little sister Jane makes it safely onto the school bus. On the way to the school bus there is a ditch that Johnny can safely jump across, but is too far for Jane. Instead of telling her to go around the ditch, he lets her try to jump and she falls and skins her knee. When Jane gets home after school and Mom sees Jane’s skinned knee, she becomes angry that Johnny did not protect her. Mom asks Johnny why didn’t he protect his sister and not let her try to jump the ditch. Johnny replies that Mom did not ask him to protect her from the ditch, but to make sure that she got safely onto the bus. Johnny said that he did hold her hand so that she got safely on the bus. That is why people like to live by laws, they can look for ways to go around them. People who want to live by the law find living by the Spirit burdensome. It is easier to hide an evil heart living by laws than by the Spirit. Living by the Spirit means knowing the heart and intent of God and living that way. There are no laws to live by, instead we know in every situation what to do because we know what God would do. What God would do is act in love, compassion, forgiveness and mercy. So the law is limited by our rebellious nature but living by the Spirit is all encompassing. Living by love is all encompassing.
“4 for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.” God loved us. We responded to His love and loved Him. We respond by faith to this wonderful God who greatly has loved us. We have believed in Him and so we followed Him. We follow Him all the way to heaven. The world would want to hold onto us, to grasp and claw at us to remain in its power of death. But through faith in Jesus, we share in His victory and have overcome the world. Praise God!
Love, love, love. I hope you’re not getting tired of hearing of it. It is one of the foundational characteristics of God. It is why He has saved us. It is how He saves us. It is proof to ourselves that we are saved. It is what causes us to not sin against God or others. Love, love, love! So simple. So easy! It is not without trials, but Family, we need to concentrate on walking in His love, there is the love of God completed in and through us. Praise God! We can do that, can’t we? God’s love, all the answers are there!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.