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| taken from http://www.christophersmith-op.com/2010/11/02/feeling-encumbered-by-your-religion/ |
1
JOHN 5:3
“For
this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his
commandments are not burdensome.”
The
Love of God. Who is the person that knows, is born of, and
abides in God? It is the one who keeps His commandments, which John
summarizes as believing in the name of His Son Jesus Christ and
loving one another (3:23). Now, we know by experience that
there is profound depth underlying this simply statement. Those who
are most devoted to living it out know best how complex and demanding
it is to believe in Christ day-by-day and love one another with
consistency. They have stretched, scraped, sprinted, slaved,
served... and yet have slipped and stumbled, sometimes miserably.
Take the beloved apostle himself, who abandoned Jesus at His moment
of need. He wrote from his own experience these words: “If we say
we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
(1:8) At the same time, he also suffered much for the gospel,
and was finally exiled to the island of Patmos.
Not
Burdensome. John tried harder and suffered more for God's
commanments than any of us. So we pause and wonder when he, of all
people, says “His commandments are not burdensome.” How could he
say that? Was he just sugarcoating the truth because he didn't want
to discourage his beleaguered flock?
He
Knew the Savior. Doubtless, as John penned his epistle, he
remembered his Savior's words, “Come to me, all who labor and are
heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and
learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find
rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Freed from a moralistic religion to rest in the free grace of God,
John was no longer burdened by the impossible task of earning God's
acceptance and love.
Love
Permeated His Life. “In this is love,” said John, “not
that we have loved God, but that He loved us and gave His Son to be
the propitiation for our sins.” (4:10) John loved God
because God loved him much, much more. God's love for him and his
love for God prompted his obedience, not mere necessity. He obeyed
because obedience delighted God, and God's delight was John's
delight.
Do
these things resonate with us, as they did with John? Are we also
joyful in the service of God?
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