Willing to Die for Love

If the key to loving God is obeying His commands, then my guess is we don't really love God as much as we claim. Oh, it's easy to shout and holler and sing praises gathered with other Christians in worship. And yes, it's easy to tell of our love for God when we share a testimony at church. But I wonder, does that really say much about our love of God? I believe the real test of our love for God is our commitment to walk in obedience to His commands when no one is there to cheer us on. I believe we learn more about the depth of our love for God on a rainy Monday morning at work than we do at worship celebration on Sunday morning.
Jesus repeatedly told his disciples that if they truly loved Him they were to obey His commands (John 14:23; John 14:24; John 15:10). It seems the real test of love is to live our lives in such a way that we carry out the Lord's commands. So, what does a deep love for God really look like? It's not evidenced by how many "Christian" bumper stickers you have on your car, or by how often you wear "Christian" t-shirts. A deep love for God is demonstrated when we love our neighbors as ourselves, when we put others first, when we lose ourselves in serving others. In fact, when you truly love God, you begin to look more and more like Jesus. True love for God is measured by how our lives are daily conformed to the image of Jesus. Do you really love God? I mean really? Because, if you do, it will cost you your life. Those who truly love God lay down their lives for Him . . . and never pick them up again (John 15:13).