Episode 39: 1 John 5

Our world has perfected the art of performance-based love. It is exhausting to feel like you’re only as valuable as you are expendable.

The good news is that our performance does not determine Jesus’ love for us.

It can be difficult to wrap our minds around how Jesus loves. We easily fall into the habit of performance, viewing Jesus’ commands as rules to follow instead of a means to intimacy with Him. But 1 John 5:3 says it is out of love for Jesus that we obey His rules — not the other way around.

God’s commands have not been put in place to oppress us, but to free us. God’s plan for our lives is the best plan for our lives. So when we give God ultimate control, it gives us ultimate joy.

If we measure our value on how well we’re following the rules, we make our faith about us instead of Jesus’ death on the cross. Obedience is not about how we perform, but how we respond. We say yes to God because we love Him, not out of obligation to Him or because we want something from Him.

Obedience is as simple as listening to Jesus and doing what He did, and what he says. Don’t simply try to follow the rules — follow Jesus.

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