Rarely do we view the difficult circumstances of life as statements of Jesus' love for us. In our best moments, we interpret them as tools God uses to stretch our faith. In our worst moments, we may see them as His disfavour. Nevertheless, God's hand is in even the most difficult circumstances, letting affliction has its deepest results. He is always the Lord of our situation and He is specific in His purposes. If we are in pain, He knows it and He allows it to happen. Revelations 3:19 "Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline." However, too often, God tries our faith so that we may try His faithfulness!


We fool ourselves if we think our love for God + our  obedience to Him are separate issues. They are 2 sides of the same coin. Jn 14:15 "If you love me, you will obey what I command."  We have become so paranoid of having a theology of "righteousness = works" that  we have ignored obedience altogether, as though it did not matter to God. Obedience is a not our means to righteousness; it is our clearest expression of our devotion to Jesus. It is meaningful worship. When we are disobedient, we are saying that God's Word does not matter to us. Matthew Henry: "Love is the root; obedience is the fruit." Think about it.