The longer you're a Christian, the more familiar the Bible becomes. And the more familiar the Bible becomes, the easier it gets to pass over profound truths without being blown away by them.
Sometimes little nuggets of Scripture that we've read a dozen times and are so familiar with that we don't stop to think about them are the ones that can really warm our hearts if we slow down and meditate on them for a second.
One that comes to mind is found in John's first epistle: "For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3 NKJV).
Of course, John was drawing on Jesus' words from the Upper Room discourse in John 14:15, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments." That's such an important part of the Christian life. Many people will claim they love Jesus, but their behavior says the exact opposite. Love of God that doesn't lead to obedience isn't love.
But it's that little phrase that the apostle tacked on afterwards that really caught my attention on the latest look: "...and His commandments are not burdensome."
Obedience is almost treated as a taboo word in much of modern Christianity. Overemphasis on "faith alone" in some circles makes them overreact any time someone starts talking about the importance of obedience. "Brokenness culture" in other circles puts so much emphasis on being relatable by dwelling on our weaknesses prevents them from calling anyone to a higher standard of obedience.
In both cases, though, obedience ends up being treated with skepticism. Anybody who talks about obedience might be viewed as a legalist who is trying to place burdens on people.
That's why 1 John 5:3 is so important. We obey not to pat ourselves on the back or look down on others, but because we love God. And we don't view our obedience as some favor we're doing for God because we have to. These commandments aren't a burden. They're good for us. They bring us joy. They make us who we truly want to be.
Obedience is a blessing. It might be hard to submit and obey at first, but the more we do it, the more we see that the real burden was in living for self and carrying the weight of our sins.
Believe John's words: love God, and show it with your obedience. You'll find the effort is not a burden at all.