We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. (1 John. 3:16 NAS)
The call of LOVE is to love. The message of LOVE is to love. The motion of LOVE is to love. There is no escape, if you are joined to LOVE, you will love.
If you do not love, you are not joined to LOVE. It is that simple and that direct. You are not called to give mental assent to a set of teachings by a local group of believers, but you are called to love at the cost of yourself. Obedience to God is acting on the belief that God is present for others through you.
In receiving Christ, you will die to your old way of living as a self-for-self and take on His Person of being a self-for-others. You don’t come to Christ to escape hell or some other discomfort, but to die from your flesh-self-identity and be made into His person of love.
When you put your faith in Christ, you were not instantly transported to heaven to escape trials, but you were invited to dive into this life of struggle and be of assistance to others in their struggles.
