Love will result in Obedience

I wanted to post one final thing on love before moving on to joy. (I know, I'm SEVERAL days behind) but anyway, we've been talking about love, and in my last post I said that love is one of the key marks of a believer. But this begs the question, what does true love look like? Fortunately for us, Jesus leaves no room for debate in the area. He clearly tells us in John 14:15, "If you love me, keep my commandments." Whoever obeys Jesus is the one who loves Him. I want to show you a poem that I read that makes the meaning of this about as clear as it can be. It's written by Joy Allison, and though it may seem a tad old-fashioned, it is a good reminder for us.

“I love you, Mother,” said little John;
Then, forgetting his work, his cap went on,
And he was off to the garden swing,
Leaving his mother the wood to bring.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Nell;
“I love you better than tongue can tell!”
Then she teased and pouted half the day,
Till Mother rejoiced when she went to play.

“I love you, Mother,” said little Fran;
“Today I’ll help you all I can.”
To the cradle then she did softly creep,
And rocked the baby till it fell asleep.

Then stepping softly, she took the broom
And swept the floor and dusted the room;
Busy and happy all day was she,
Helpful and cheerful as she could be.

“I love you, Mother,” again they said,
Three little children going to bed.
How do you think that Mother guessed
Which of them really loved her best?

How did the Mother know who had the greatest love for her? It was easily seen in the children's behavior.

Does our love for the Father and the Son show easily? I pray that mine does.

This challenged me to think of more ways that I could show my love for the God of the universe. I want to do something that challenges me and really shows my love. If you think of anything, I would greatly appreciate your comments!

I think that's a good way to end the section on "love." Hopefully we'll post again soon!