Lately I have been inspired by the first part of the golden rule; Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength… (Luke 10:27).
What does it mean to love God? Does it mean to believe in him?
Well, Satan and his demons believe in him and hell is their destiny (James 2:19). So what does it mean to love God? John 14:15 says If you love me, you will obey what I command.
I am seeing lots of evidence in the scriptures that the primary way to love God is to obey him. This is interesting, because you see a lot of people who say they are Christians, based only on belief.
But belief alone doesn’t cut it. Obeying is the crucial point.
It would seem there are a lot of ways we can obey God, but are we doing it? Prayer, worship, church attendance (home churches included), the 10 Commandments, etc.
We sometimes see obedience as a negative thing, but we obey people all the time by following an owner’s manual, by following road signs, etc. It shouldn’t be a negative thing. It isn’t a judgment thing. It’s a trust thing between you and God.
In other words, if you obey God, you are trusting him, if you trust him, you believe that what he says is best for you and others. That is true faith. That is what makes you a Christian.
The alternative is belief in his existence, like you believe in the chair you are sitting on. True belief is obedience.
The only reliable way to know what he asks us to do is to read the Bible. If all you do is follow your own rules that are in conflict with the Bible you really don’t believe in God.
Ken Cyr is pastor of Maple Park Alliance Church in Quesnel.