Do you remember the first time as a kid you decided you were not a big fan of the rules? You were told to clean your room, but you didn’t like cleaning your room. You knew you were supposed to put your dirty laundry in the basket, but you weren’t a fan of laundry. You knew that your job was to empty the dishwasher, but it seemed excessive and unkind to ask a kid to do such hard labor. And why should you have to mow the lawn when you weren’t the one who sent the rain and made it grow!?

All of those rules seemed like unnecessary weights placed unfairly upon your shoulders. In fact, following all those rules was suffocating to your own personal freedom. They were hindrances to the life of joy that you longed to experience. 

To those who are hesitant to cooperate (that’s all of us), John writes these convicting words: 

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.

Loving God is connected to obeying God. We love God and obey his commands. Loving God doesn’t mean thoughtfully considering and contemplating the commands of God, but actually doing what he says. Obedience is the appropriate response to the love God has lavished on us and a result of a deepening love we have for him. The more you know God and love him, the more you will love his commands and desire to obey them. 

Almost every day I ask my daughter to snuggle. What dad doesn’t want to snuggle with his daughter? Recently, she has decided it’s funny when I ask her if she wants to snuggle. She will politely reply, “No, thank you” and walk away. Can you imagine if we did this whenever someone we love asked us to lend a hand? 

Sweetie, can you empty the dishwasher? “No.” 

Love, can you grab my phone when you’re downstairs? “Nope.” 

Honey, can pick me up a gallon of milk while you’re at the store? “I don’t think so.” 

That doesn’t sound very loving, does it? It doesn’t sound loving because it’s not loving. 

Because we love God and have been empowered by the Spirit of God, we delight in keeping the commands of God. And his commands are not burdensome. They are not unnecessary weights placed upon our shoulders meant to steal our joy. God’s commands are not meant to be a beat down, but a delight. They do not hinder our joy but protect us from evil. “Therefore I love your commandments above gold, above fine gold.” (Psalm 119:27) 

For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.