Love = Keeping His Commandments

Updated Edition from 12/5/2014

I don’t know if any of my readers have noticed, but I like to blog about things that I am trying to learn. Right now, I really want to study the “Fruit of the Spirit” from Galatians 5:22-23. I desire to do a harvest check in my own life. I need to make sure I am bearing good fruit. At the heart of it, keeping God’s commandments is love, and that conviction is what pushed me to study the Fruit of the Spirit in the first place.

We prove ourselves by our fruits. The Messiah states, “You will know them by their fruit. Grapes aren’t gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles, are they?  In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a rotten tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a rotten tree cannot produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into a fire. So, by their fruit you will know them,” (Matt 7:17-20). I know it says “you will know them,” but I believe we can apply this to ourselves. This is how others will know us, by our fruit.

Therefore, I want to look at each fruit individually. Today, I will start with the first one, love. I want to focus on the greatest commandment because it is vital in our walk. It is vital for our fruit. It is the first thing that leads us to do what God wants us to do. The greatest commandment is “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind,” (Matt 22:37, Ref Deut 6:5). If you notice, the Messiah is quoting Moses.

The question then is how do we show love to God?  We do it by our actions. If you are a parent, you understand that one of the greatest ways your child can show love towards you is by doing what you say. Well, the same applies to God. He knows we love Him when we do what He says, thus keeping His commands.

 “If you love me, keep my commandments.  The person who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I, too, will love him and reveal myself to him,” – Jesus (John 14:15; 21).

Remember, He did not come to “destroy the Law or the Prophets,” (Matt 5:17). He came to fulfill them, and not one little dot will disappear until “heaven and earth disappear,” (Matt 5:18). As far as I know, heaven and earth have yet to disappear. Therefore, the commandments are still very important.

Keeping God’s commandments produces good fruit. If we keep His commandments, we abide in His love (Joh 15:8-10).

I like looking at God’s commandments. The first three point to Him. First, He is God Supreme; no other god comes before Him ever. Second, do not worship a graven image. Third, do not take His name in vain. In other words, do not carry His name in a dishonorable way. Then, He gives us the Sabbath to honor and make holy. A whole day of rest, who doesn’t like to rest?  The truth is, if I didn’t keep the Sabbath, I would probably work seven days a week. God in His infinite wisdom commanded us to take a day to rest in Him, in His word, and from our labor.

Then, He tells us to honor our parents because, let’s be honest, if you can’t honor your own parents how will you know how to honor your Heavenly Father. The final half shows how we treat each other.  

Keeping God’s commandments is love in action

If we have love, we can keep the commandments. No one that loves God is going to worship a graven image. No one that loves their neighbor is going to steal from them. “Love is the fulfillment of the Law,” (Rom 13:10b).

In closing, I just want to quote John because he says it much better than I ever could: