In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:10-11).

I think it’s fair to say that many people honor God out of mere duty — or because they dread his anger. How many times have you heard someone say they did something wrong, and now they’re waiting for the proverbial bolt of lightning to strike? 

Yet, God wants the prime motivation of his children to be very different! That’s why his greatest commandment is for you to love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matt. 22:37-8). 

That love relationship changes everything in our Christian walk. God’s love assures us that his rules are for our benefit, not the arbitrary commands of an eternal killjoy. Loving God makes our service to him joy, rather than a burden or a bribe.  

When we truly understand God’s heart of grace through the revelation of Jesus Christ’s sacrifice that turned God’s wrath from our sin (as a “propitiation”), then we never fear his condemnation. Instead, we’re drawn into a relationship that’s filled with love.

That love causes us to obey God not out of fearful dread or slavish fear, but out of a childlike love and willing heart. Our greatest delight is delighting him. A heart of gratitude (rather than desire to gain material rewards or to avoid an ogre in the sky) becomes the supreme motivation and power of those who grasp how great is God’s love for us. 

What communicates that love? Jesus. As we gaze upon his cross and marvel at his provision for sinners like us, we live to love him. That was the plan from the beginning. So live to love him, and love living for him!

Prayer:
Father, thank you for loving me so much that you sent your Son as a “propitiation” to pay the penalty for my sins. May I respond to your love by loving to live for you.