God’s Love Language
How can I show God that I love Him?
Verse of the Day
“Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for each other, love one another deeply, from the heart.”
Today’s Devotional
The more I study and write about any one topic, certain truths begin to stand out to me. Today is the last day on the topic of “Love”. Which means that we have spent several days and weeks reading and writing about love. And there is one word that keeps coming up as I study love. That word is “obedience”.
Today’s verse tells me that I participate in the purification process as I obey. It implies that my obedience leads me to be better able to sincerely love my fellow man. This verse also implies that loving others with my actions will lead to loving others out of genuine affection. Feelings follow actions.
Look at today’s verse again. Obedience is the daily action of putting God’s will for my life above my own and acting in accordance with God’s will. The promises, or the “fruit” of my continual obedience, is that I become purified to the point that I can actually love others. So as I obey, my flaws and impurities become less, making it possible for me to love other people. And the more I continue to obey, the more sincere my love will become.
I read in a book recently that obedience is God’s love language. Not worship music, not church attendance, not how many people I have brought to Christ. Obedience. That’s how I show God that I love Him. If I obey the commands written in His Word, and I obey the specific things He puts on my heart, then by my actions I am showing God that I love Him. And when I do that, he creates in me a purity that allows me to love others. That’s just really cool.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How can you be obedient to God today?
Is there something He has been urging you to do that you have put off?
What benefits can you see in your life from past obedience?
Ask God for His help in knowing what He wants you to do, and for help to actually obey His instructions.