Love is the language of maturity. As we grow in Christ His love consumes our hearts and obedience becomes an addiction. We are no longer prodded by the flames of hell to continue obeying Him, but rather we are filled with the ecstasy of His glory and are carried along by holy-infatuation.

When we fall in love with Jesus, obeying His word becomes the passion of our hearts. We can’t help but serve Him when He has become our delight. Many people lack this connection with His love, and therefore are driven by duty alone. They feel the heavy weight of commandment, but do not experience the sweet intoxication of His heart. But dry ritual and forced obedience becomes holy-obsession when we encounter His love.

“If you love me you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:16)

“And Jacob served seven years for Rachel; and they seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had for her.” (Genesis 29:20)

Love empowers us to keep His commandments, not because we are forcing ourselves to, but because we have fallen in love. Even more accurately put, we fall head-long into His love, and we then reflect that love back to Him. We don’t just love God from the bottom of our hearts, the Holy Spirit enables us to love God from the bottom of His, because it is His love that flows into us, through us, and back to Him. As we are possessed with the blazing wildfire of His love, we then are enabled to love God, through God. It takes God to love God.

“And hope does not put to shame because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” (Romans 5:5)

As we drink from that river of love, we then give it back to Him as the natural response to His intoxicating goodness. We can’t drum this up by attempting to manufacture feelings of love for God, rather, we receive His love as a gift, and it transforms the very nature of our being. We become love as we encounter His love. We begin to carry the atmosphere of His presence, and the very aroma of Christ’s goodness that this world so desperately craves.

We can’t love apart from Him, but in Him we have the capacity to love any person because His love is burning within us as an all consuming fire.

The more we drink the more we will love. Striving and straining to manufacture love is a waste of time, but freely receiving His love is what enables us to love like Him and obey His commandments.