John by divine inspiration writes in 1 John 5:3: "For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous." I turn to John 14:15 and hear Jesus as he says, "If ye love me, keep my commandments". I venture to say that there are multitudes of people throughout this world who say they love the Lord. It is easy for an individual to say they love God. The real test of that love is shown in the way they keep or do not keep his commands. Jesus did not say, if you love me you will keep some of my commands. He did not say you will keep a few of my commands. Neither did he say you will keep only those you like and agree with. The inference by our Lord and by John is that we keep "all"of God's commands. How dare someone say they love God and refuse to comply with his plan to save (Rom. 10:17, Heb. 11:6, John 20:30-31, Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, Acts 17:30, Matt. 10:32-33, Acts 8:37, Rev. 2:10) From these verses we learn that God's plan to save man is: Hear, Believe, Repent, Confess, Be Baptized for Remission of Sins, Live Faithful until death. It is an exercise in futility for anyone to say they love God and then embrace and teach a way to be saved that does not come from God. If it comes from God, it can be found in his word, the Bible.
To say we love God and then not live a life of purity is a practice in deception (1 John 2:15-17, 1 Thess. 5:22,, Matt. 5:8, 1 Tim. 4:12). To say we love God and be inactive, lethargic, lukewarm and lazy in our responsibilities to God, fellow Christians and others will show only our insincerity (Mark 12:30-31, I John 3:11-23, Gal. 6:10, James 2:14-26, 1 Cor. 15:58). We deceive ourselves if we say we love God and then do not cast off the works of darkness (Eph. 5:11, 1 Pet. 2:1-3, James 1:21, Gal. 5:10-21).
My friends, Satan is alive and well today (1 Pet 5:8-9). He will spare no effort to divert our hearts away from God. He is content for us to profess a love for God so long as that is all we do. He will sit on our shoulder and tell us that God does not really mean what he says (ask Adam and Eve, Moses, King Saul about that). God means what he says (2 John 9, Matt. 15:8-9). There are no short cuts, no sale days, and no bargain basements when it comes to pleasing God through our love for him. Don't let Satan through some man divert your heart away from God. God says it, I belive it and that forever settles the matter for me. How about you?
"Not everyone that saith Lord, Lord…………………"
Charles Hicks
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