Knowing, Loving, Obeying

Daily Reading: 1 John 5

Scripture Focus: By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. (1 John 5.2)

Devotional Thought: "The most wonderful time of the year" is just a month away. I love to celebrate Christmas - the irrefutable and irresistible Love of God, shining forth from a manger. But, I also love the opportunity to come together as a family. My love for Christ and my love for my family gets all mixed together, and indeed it is a most wonderful time. I think God is ok with that, with mixing up all that love. After all, as John wrote earlier, "God is love!" Paul said that the love we have in our hearts is put there by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5.8).

John mixed up three different kinds of love in today's verse...

· Love for God. Jesus told us that we are to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength. We have to get that right before all the other loves are right.

· Love for the children of God. After we get that first love right, then we are to love our neighbor. This love must be based upon God's love because otherwise it will become idolatrous. We love with true love when we love with God's love.

· Love for the commandments of God. We show our love for the commandments of God by obeying them. Obedience to God's commands keeps our love pure and healthy. True love doesn't do just anything. Sometimes, it has to say no. If love cannot say no, if it leaves out God's commandments, it is mere sentimentality.

Do you have a healthy love? A love that is rooted in God, overflowing to others and grounded upon God's Word? Only such a love will last into eternity.

Prayer: Lord, I want my life to be filled with love. So, help me to love you, to love your children, and to love your commandments. Amen.

Psalm of the Day: Psalm 130.1-4

1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! 2 O Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy!

3 If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? 4 But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.