Is Love For God Primarily An Act Of Obedience?
Q: Is loving God mainly an act of obedience? If I don’t “feel” love for God on a bad day but still obey Him in faith, does that still count as loving Him?
A: Yes, to obey God even when you don’t feel love means you love Him, perhaps more than ever. In any relationship – not only your relationship with God – sometimes love happens easily. It’s not difficult. It’s just easy to love some people and in some situations. Other times, it’s not so easy. Here’s an analogy. Let’s say your baby is having digestive trouble, and there are lots of messy diapers to clean up. After the third or fourth diaper, you’re not feeling very happy about it. You’re not overwhelmed by gushy loving feelings in that moment, even if you are in general. But you do what you need to do, and you are truly doing it in love.
We are called to simply obey the Lord, even when it’s not easy, when it feels difficult, and when there’s a challenge to it all. That is love. It’s powerful love. It’s true love. Don’t let anybody tell you different. There will be times when God allows us to love Him, obey Him, honor Him, and serve Him, when we feel like we’re getting nothing out of it. But we obey because we know He’s God and He deserves all that from us.