If you love me…

“If you love me, obey my commandments.”

John 14:15(NIV)

Obedience. Sometimes it’s harder than others. But so many times we base our closeness to God on how good we’ve been. We feel distant when we’ve been bad. We might even avoid devotion or prayer time. Much like Adam and Eve did when they hid in the garden, we hide ourselves from God as if our disobedience makes Him love us less.

But this illusion of love lost is a lie.

God’s love for you doesn’t change based on your performance.

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God’s love is unconditional. No strings attached. It’s endless, and able to reach past our constant fumbles.

The verse in John 14:15 says, “If you love me, obey my commandments.”

If we love Him. Your obedience doesn’t change God’s love for you. It changes your love for Him. Obedience to His will draws you closer to Him. Not because He has moved closer, but because we have. The Bible describes God as unchanging. The same yesterday, today, and forever. Meaning His position towards you is solid. It’s constant. He’s madly and wildly in love with you. Always. But our alignment with His word and His will steps us closer and closer to His heart for us. It’s how we can come running to His wide open arms.

He’s always close. Always present. Always available. Whether you’ve been good or bad or indifferent. But if you will begin to follow His instructions out of sheer love for Him, you’ll discover that submitting your will to His isn’t so hard. When we say, “because I love You, I’ll tithe,” or “out of love for You, Father, I’ll forgive my neighbor.” Suddenly, the focus shifts off your performance and onto a real and thriving relationship with God. It becomes more relationship and less religion.

If you desire to make the God of all creation, the painter of the sunsets in the evening and the arranger of the stars, smile today, obey the instruction He has given you. Not because you have to, but because you want to.

God loves you. Love Him back. Obey.

Be Blessed!