THE OBEDIENCE THAT LOOKS LIKE LOVE
You speak often about obedience—and that is worthy of respect. Obedience matters. Jesus Himself tied love for Him to keeping His commandments, not as a burden, but as the natural fruit of a heart aligned with God (John 14:15). The word of God never treats obedience lightly. It is serious, holy, and weighty.
But obedience must be practiced, not merely praised.
There is a form of “obedience” that lives comfortably in theory. It knows the right doctrines. It can articulate the boundaries with precision. It can defend its positions with clarity and confidence. This “obedience” is nothing but a house built on shifting sand.
Yet there is another kind of obedience, deeper and more demanding, because it costs us something. It requires surrender of pride, patience with weakness, and grace toward those who do not see as we see.
Nothing is more obedient than love.
Nothing is as obedient love.
Actually, love is obedience.
Jesus did not summarize the will of God with a complex system. He narrowed it to love God with the whole heart, soul, and mind, and to love our neighbor as ourselves; upon these, He said, everything else depends (Matthew 22:37-40). According to Jesus, love is not one command among many; it is the command that holds all others together.
The Apostle Paul presses this truth even further. He teaches that even flawless religious performance, even sacrificial devotion, even correct belief loses its value if love is absent. Without love, obedience becomes noise without meaning, effort without fruit (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). Orthodoxy without love may feel strong, but it is hollow.
This is where the warning becomes sharp and necessary.
If love is not the most important thing, then something has gone wrong. If our “obedience” makes us harsher instead of humbler, colder instead of kinder, more impressed with ourselves instead of more patient with others, then we are not practicing the obedience Christ calls for. We may be practicing religion, but it is the wrong kind.
The word of God is clear: the goal of instruction is love that flows from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith (1 Timothy 1:5). When love is displaced from the center, everything else shifts out of alignment. Rules remain, but mercy fades. Tradition remains, but compassion withers. Certainty remains, but Christlikeness diminishes.
Jesus showed us what perfect obedience looks like. He obeyed the Father not only by fulfilling the law, but by laying down His life for those who did not deserve it. His obedience took the form of self-giving love, extended even to enemies, even to the cross (Philippians 2:8). That is the obedience heaven honors.
So let us not merely speak of obedience. Let us practice it where it matters most.
Let us obey by loving when it would be easier to withdraw. By showing patience when we would rather correct. By extending grace without first demanding proof of worthiness. This is not soft obedience; it is the hardest kind. And it is the kind Jesus recognizes as His own.
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Lord Jesus, teach us the obedience that looks like love. Strip away pride, soften our hearts, and reorder our priorities until love stands first. May our faith be true, our doctrine sound, and our lives marked above all by Christlike love. Amen.
BDD
