ROMANS 6:1-2 – “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?”

THEME OF THE DAY: HOW DO WE SHOW OUR LOVE TO GOD?   How would you answer the question identifying today’s nugget theme?  Better yet, how would Jesus answer the question?  He does directly, with clarity, leaving no room for misunderstanding, and it is found in one word – obedience.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15).

“Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him” (John 14:21).

“Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him”” (John 14:23).

God delights in His children following His commandments.  He doesn’t say “If you love Me, be good” in some general display of morality.  Nor does He say, “If you love Me, be nice to people” as if love was some emotion flowing from us that encourages people with acts and words of kindness.  Please don’t misinterpret what I just wrote.  True love for God by obeying His Word produces the highest displays of morality, though Christianity is not morality.  And yes, when the love of God is known and we love Him back, Christians will be the kindest people on the earth, though Christianity is not merely being kind.

To truly love God there must be purposeful application of His commandments into our daily lives.  This means knowing His commandments, and irrespective of emotions, circumstances, and feelings, we intentionally obey His commands.

There is a second answer the Lord gives to the question “How do we show love to God?” and it is implied in today’s scripture and stated in the ninety-seventh Psalm . . .

“O you who love the LORD, hate evil! He preserves the lives of his saints; he delivers them from the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 97:10).

To love God means to not only love what He loves but to hate what He hates. And God’s hatred is toward evil which includes the forces of evil and what these forces lead to – sin.  But to hate sin does not come naturally to us. In fact, without new birth, we love sin, are enslaved to sin, and left to ourselves all we do is sin.  It is when the Holy Spirit brings us into union with Christ, the right type of hatred for sin is planted in our hearts.  However, we must make a distinction.  We don’t have a true hatred for sin just because of the consequences it brings to us.  Such a hatred is not sustainable and never leads to joyful freedom from sin. The proper hatred for sin, one that breaks its bondage on us, is the hatred because of its offense to our holy God. Such hatred is to be prayed for and sought after as it is foundational to a life of holiness.

So, how do we show our love to God?  We delight in obeying His commands and grow in our hatred for the sin that took the Lord Jesus to the cross for us!

PRAYER: Father, help me to not only show my love to You by obeying Your Word but also in hating all sin.

REFLECTION:  To hate what God hates is a clear sign of love to Him.