First John 4:19 says, “We love because He first loved us.” We are able to feel and express love only because of God’s great love for us. I was thinking about this this morning, and I hope I can share with you here the tidbit that I felt spoken to my heart.
You see, I’ve been dealing with internal conflict lately–the desire to be a good, patient, loving wife and mother VERSUS the desire to have my own way, my own space, my own time AND a clean house! The past few days have actually been quite successful thanks to the inspiration and admonitions received from Michelle Duggar in her and Jim Bob’s new book, A Love that Multiplies. But we all know that life would just be easier if we all had obedient children, right? (Bet that’s what God says too!)
Okay, so this is what I was thinking about just a bit ago and thought I should come and type it up before I forget it. Remember, this is what the Lord spoke to my heart concerning my family. I am posting it here in hopes that it may be beneficial to someone reading.
Back to 1 John 4:19, “We love because He first loved us.” And then Jesus said in John 14:15, “If you love me, keep my commands.” So think about that for a minute, and bear with me as I try to explain how it made sense in my head. The whole issue of obedient children can possibly come back to these two verses.
As a Christian, my greatest desire is to please my Lord and Savior. I want desperately to keep His commands, not in an effort to “earn” His love, but because He already loves me so greatly. I love Him because He first loved me (1 John 4:19). And because I love Him, I want to obey His commands (John 14:15).
So I asked myself these questions: Do my children love me? And if so, why do my children love me? I hope that they love me, because I first loved them. (I’ve got the stretch marks to prove it.) Seriously, I loved them before I truly knew they existed. Before a positive pregnancy test, before a heartbeat or ultrasound, I loved them. Because I love them and express that in ways they can understand, they will find it easier to obey me.
The more I understand God’s love for me, the more I desire to obey Him, trusting that His commands are for my good. Likewise, the more my children understand my love for them, I hope it will be easier for them to obey me.
So what do you think? Does greater love equal greater obedience?