For  this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

 School children are rewarded in the classroom for good behavior. Teachers over the years have come up with ways to reward students for their positive behavior, and for many kids it has worked. My daughter was a rule follower and always walked the line. Teachers would tell us that they could always count on her to be the example for other students.

 Many people today look at Christians in the same way, they perceive the life of a Christian as a rule follower and believe God rewards good behavior, and punishes bad behavior. Although this might sound logical, there is something deeper in the life of a child of God that drives him/her to walk within the will of God.

 LOVE

 When you love someone, your desire is to please them and don’t want to do anything that might harm the relationship. Love of God is the motivating force that keeps His children walking the straight and narrow pathway through this life. God’s rewards aren’t out of certain behaviors, they come out of His love for us, His creation.

 We love Him because HE first loved us. 1 John 4:19

 If you think being a Christian is all about rule following, you’ve got it all wrong. It’s much more than walking the line. No one is perfect and quite honestly Christians are more vulnerable to mess up than those outside God family. Satan only targets God’s children because He knows the damage he can cause by enticing Christians to sin.

 Maybe you aren’t much of a rule follower. God loves you regardless and wants to have a personal relationship with you. Don’t cut yourself short of God’s blessings by thinking it’s all about following rules. It’s about love and what God offers you in return when you love Him, just as He loves you. Blessings