By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:2-3
If you watched “Cops” on tv, you most likely witnessed the police arrest a domestic violence offender who then proclaimed his love for the victim all the way to the patrol car. I always wondered if he really believed his own words. If so, he was grossly confused about the meaning of love. The Holy Spirit says "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; loves does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil..." (1 Corinthians 13:4-5). It takes little effort to see through the faulty reasoning of the offender's concept of love.
Sadly, many who profess faith in Christ "love" Him in much the same way as we seek what He can give us without reciprocating His love. Though I cannot judge the heart of another person (Matthew 7:1; Romans 14:4), I want to suggest a few questions we should ask ourselves when we turn from Him to sin.
First, do I understand why I love Him in the first place? John said, "We love Him because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Truly grasping God’s love for us produces love for Him in us. In 1 John 4:9-10, John said "In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son into the world, that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins." The meaning of propitiation is a humbling thought in itself. It means to cover or wipe away a stain. Jesus had to die a cruel and painful death on the cross to wipe away our sins.
Next, am I aware of the biblical prescription for expressing love for Him? Feeling thankful for His blessings is one thing, but properly expressing them is another. John also said, "My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth" (1 John 3:18). As the abusive spouse's profession of love was hollow, so is our profession of love for Christ when we refuse to do His will. The Savior plainly stated "If you love Me, keep My commandments" (John 14:15). Not only is the love of God expressed by keeping His commandments, the love of God is keeping His commandments (1 John 5:2-3). Therefore, to say we love the Lord while disobeying His commandments is a contradiction of terms.
Finally, do we realize when we rebel against our Lord that we are abusing the One who died for us? Hebrews 10:29 described a Christian who sins willfully as one "...who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace..." Is this not much the same as the "love" expressed by the abusive spouse on Cops?
We must clearly understand what it means to love God in order to properly demonstrate that love in our lives. The first step is to meditate on the things He has done for us to promote a deep, abiding love for Him. Once we have done this, we must make a conscious effort to please Him who died for us. True love for God takes the burden out of serving Him much the way true love for a spouse makes pleasing them in this life a joy instead of a burden. God has given us more reason to love Him than any earthly mate ever could. Let us love accordingly.