nbcrusader
Blue Crack Addict
Irvine511 said:how do you know this? is obedience the only form of love god wants? can obedience ever be love, at least a mature kind of love?
It is repeated throughout Scripture.
"Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands." Deuteronomy 7:9
"But be very careful to keep the commandment and the law that Moses the servant of the LORD gave you: to love the LORD your God, to walk in all his ways, to obey his commands, to hold fast to him and to serve him with all your heart and all your soul." Joshua 22:5
"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands" Nehemiah 1:5
"I lift up my hands to your commands, which I love, and I meditate on your decrees." Psalm 119:48
"O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with all who love him and obey his commands" Daniel 9:4
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15 (bonus for red letters!)
"Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him." John 14:21 (more red)
"If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love." John 15:10 (red)
"This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world." 1 John 5:3-4
Please do not take this as justification for those who self-reighteously point out the flaws of others - they are not following the commands either.
I add this as when we say we want to love God, we should find out what God means by that, not what we feel is the right thing. Fortunately, those are not mutually exclusive.