I JOHN 5:3-5: “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”
OBSERVATION: Everyone wants to succeed in life. No one starts their day saying – “I think I’ll be a miserable failure today. Yeah…that is what I really want to be!” A sports team does not enter a game with the hopes of losing. Victory is the preferred path for all!
John gives us the key to victory in our lives – faith working through love. What does faith working through love look like? How do we know when we are walking in faith and abiding in love? If we love God, if we truly believe that Jesus is the Son of God, we will keep His commandments. Obedience is the evidence of true love. If we are not walking according to God’s commandments then we are showing that our faith is weak or suspect, and we are not truly walking in love. Obedience is the fruit of faith working through love.
John adds another insight into this mix. Those who are walking by faith working through love do not hesitate to obey God’s commandments. Why? Because they are not burdensome. In other words, they are not commands that limit our life. God’s commandments lead us into the fulness of life and liberty. They are the “Game Plan” of faith that overcomes the world. It is through God’s Word that we overcome the enemy and enter into the fullness of His promise and rest.
Temptation tries to convince me that the “shortcut” is the way to achieve the victory I so desire. God’s Word calls me to the straight and narrow path. Faith working through love embraces the pathway of the cross because it reveals temptation for what it really is, reveals my heart for what it really desires, and leads me away from the cycle of the brokenness and failure that dominated my life – and into His glorious freedom and victory!
Lord, perfect me in Your love. Let my faith be evidenced by my obedience to Your commands. Let me rejoice over Your Word knowing that Your Word is Truth and Your Truth will truly set me free. Let me live today by faith working through love. Let me live what I believe! In Jesus Name!
