Motivated by love

Joseph, a young Hebrew slave, had been sold into Egypt and purchased by Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard. The Lord blessed Joseph greatly, and Potiphar noticed that everything Joseph touched prospered. As a result, Potiphar elevated Joseph to oversee his entire household, entrusting all that he owned to him. Joseph was described as “a goodly person, and well favoured”; that is, handsome and well-built.
This drew the attention of his master’s wife. She fixed her eyes upon him and made a direct proposition: “Lie with me.”
Joseph refused firmly. He reminded her, “Look, my master does not know what is with me in the house, and he has committed all that he has to my hand. There is no one greater in this house than I, nor has he kept back anything from me but you because you are his wife. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Christian life was never meant to be just about duty, fear, or religious performance. It starts with God loving us first. Knowing God’s love is so important because it shapes absolutely everything: how you see God, how you see yourself, how you pray, how you obey, how you cope when things get hard, how you see and treat other people, and how you understand salvation.

You can know all the Christian teachings and doctrines but still feel spiritually dry. But when the heart begins to truly know the love of God revealed in Christ, your faith becomes alive and personal, not just something you know in your head.

God’s love is the reason for salvation. God’s original intent for creation is to get us into his family. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son.”

When a person truly knows the love of God, it changes how they relate to him. God stops being viewed only as a distant judge and becomes known as Father. That produces trust, confidence and intimacy in prayer. Many believers struggle spiritually not because they doubt God’s power but because they secretly doubt his love toward them.

Knowing God’s love guards your heart from empty legalism. Obedience in Christianity is meant to flow from love and reverence not from terror. Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” We are deeply shaped by what we believe about God. If you see God only through anger and rejection, you will often live in fear and hiding. But when you understand his mercy, patience and grace, love begins to produce inward change. The scripture says, “We love him because he first loved us.”

A brother once told me what is happening in his inner being: he said that the growing knowledge of God’s faithfulness creates loyalty in his heart. So when temptation comes, it is not just law restraining him. It is devotion anchoring him. I remembered explaining to him that the love of God draws the believer in. Reverence keeps the heart grounded. Together, they shape obedience that is neither mechanical nor careless. Without love, obedience becomes dry duty. Without reverence, love can drift into familiarity without honour.

I really want you to discuss this and contribute to the discussion..

Kay Alli