1 John 2:5 KJV
[5] But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him.
Romans 5:5 declares that when a sinner is saved, “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts”. This is evidence of true salvation in our lives. Salvation produces a love for God and the things of God. Our spirit becomes alive in Christ causing us to love the spiritual things of God. We love his word, his Spirit, his church, and his will.
Like any relationship, the love can grow stronger or weaker. I’m glad we have the assurance that his love is unconditional and unchanging. The love of God is complete. God cannot love us any more than he already does, and he will not love us any less. He proved his love for us at Calvary in giving his Son for us.
He desires for our love to be complete as well. The word perfected in our verse means fully developed. For our love to grow and fully develop for God, we must keep his word. Some will see this as a heavy burden or task. However, when you love someone obedience is not near as difficult as it looks. I’m not saying that it’s always easy to obey but love always prevails and causes obedience. A child may not always want to obey their parents, but the more they love their parents the more they desire to obey them.
God gave us his word to instruct us on how we ought to live. He wants us to draw closer to him and obey him because he loves us and wants the best for us. Obedience causes our lives to fully develop and gives us the assurance that we are in a right relationship with him. It causes our lives to be complete. Purpose to obey him and allow your love to develop deeper for him.