“LIGHT AND REFRESHING”

3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.”

1 John 5:3

There are 613 laws in the OT and roughly 1,050 in the NT. That’s a lot. But should these numbers discourage us from obeying God with all our hearts?

In our previous blog, we learned that love for God and others are inseparable. We can’t say we love God but not the church, nor can we say we love Christians but not Christ.

In today’s verse, John once again gives a practical definition of God’s love: our keeping of God’s commandments. He connects these two things to make his readers understand that love for God is more than just emotions.

Agape, a self-sacrificing love, is shown in tangible ways. It is the willingness to set aside one’s interest and seek the welfare of others. It is having the humility to submit to God and yield to His leading. It means letting go of all distractions to follow Christ unreservedly.

The second part of the verse shows how a believer should consider God’s commandments. John says that they are not “burdensome.” The Greek term “barys” literally means “heavy in weight.” It describes the severity or sternness of something. God’s commandments are not cruel or weighty.

To a man who lives apart from God, these commandments are strange and hard. He thinks that God is a cruel master that robs His subjects of fun and happiness. In Matthew 11, Jesus discusses how hard it is to keep the law of Moses and how the Pharisees and scribes make it even more difficult by adding extrabiblical traditions while failing to keep the same laws.

But for a Christian, the yoke of obedience is light and refreshing. Obeying God gives him joy, the same way Jesus lovingly fulfilled the Father’s will. This is also how David felt about God’s laws.

7 “The law of the Lord is perfect,

    refreshing the soul.

The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,

    making wise the simple.”

Psalm 19:7

My friend, how do you feel about obeying Jesus’ commands? Do you find it hard and exhausting or light and refreshing?

Pursue the Savior today!