Romans 15:4 "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, in order that he may be with you forever[a]— 17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world is not able to receive, because it does not see him or know him.[b] You know him, because he resides with you and will be in you.
18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. 19 Yet a little time and the world will see me no longer, but you will see me; because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 The one who has my commandments and keeps them—that one is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
Stand with me and lift your bible and repeat after me.
This is my Bible.
I can do what it says I can do.
I am what it says I am.
I am going to learn how to be what it says I can be.
Today I will learn more of the word of God.
The indestructible, never ending, living word Of God.
I will never be the same.
I will never be the same.
In Jesus Name
Amen?
Before you sit down, say good morning to your brothers and sisters.
“Growing in Christ: Walking in Obedience”
Turn with me in your Bibles to John 14:15-21.
Today, we’re going to look at the essential key to a deep, flourishing relationship with Jesus: obedience.
In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Obedience to God isn’t a mere duty; it’s an expression of love.
Obedience brings us closer to Christ, empowers us to live victoriously, and opens doors for the Holy Spirit to move in us in powerful ways.
1: Obedience Shows Our Love for Christ
In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”
Our love for Jesus is demonstrated in how we obey Him. Obedience isn’t about mere compliance; it’s about a much deep connection with the heart of God. We obey because we each love Him, and we want to live in alignment with His will.
Obedience to Jesus is always a response to His love for us. It is a way of saying, “Lord, I love You so much that I want to please You, no matter what it costs.”
– Obedience flows from love. If you love Jesus, you will want to follow His commands.
– Is there an area in your life where you are holding back from obeying Jesus?
Surrender that area today. Let your love for Him be your motivation to obey.
In John 14:16-17, Jesus tells His disciples that the Holy Spirit will come to those who obey and follow His commandments.
The Holy Spirit is not just any distant power, but the very presence of God that dwells within us. And the Holy Spirit is given to empower, inspire, us to obey.
– The Holy Spirit empowers you to obey.
– Obedience invites the Holy Spirit to work through you.
– If you are struggling with obedience, ask the Holy Spirit for the strength to follow God’s commands. He is there to help you.
2: Obedience Brings Blessing and Fruitfulness
In John 14:21, Jesus says,
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
Jesus is telling us, teaching us, that obedience brings intimacy with Him, and obedience opens the door to divine blessings and fruitfulness.
Let me share the powerful story of Abraham, the father of faith.
God called Abraham to leave his home, his family, and his comfort zone, and to go to a place God would show him.
It wasn’t a call that made sense. Abraham didn’t know where he was going or how it would all turn out. But Abraham obeyed. His obedience to God’s call was the **foundation** of God’s promise to make him the father of many nations.
Abraham’s obedience resulted in a blessing that reached far beyond his lifetime.
From his obedience, the nation of Israel was born, and ultimately, Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, came from Abraham’s line.
Through Abraham’s obedience, the world was blessed.
When we obey God, it may not always bring specific immediate rewards, but it will always bring fruitfulness. Our obedience positions us for God’s blessing, and we begin to see His hand move in our lives in ways we never expected.
– When you obey God, you position yourself for His blessings and for His fruitfulness.
– Your obedience doesn’t just impact your life—it impacts the lives of others. You may not see it immediately, but God is using our obedience for something far greater.
Church, obedience to Jesus is not a burden—it is key to growing in connecting with Savior Christ and experiencing His presence and His power in our lives.
It’s about trusting Him enough to follow His lead, even when the way is hard.
When we obey, we open wide the doorway for the Holy Spirit to move in us and through us, bringing freedom, blessing, and fruitfulness.
– Maybe you’ve been struggling with a particular area of obedience.
You’ve been hesitant to trust God or to take that step of faith.
Today is the day to surrender and obey.
– If you want the strength to walk in obedience, I invite you to come forward and ask the Holy Spirit to empower you.
– If you want to experience the blessing and fruitfulness that comes from our obeying Christ, come forward, make a fresh commitment to follow Him fully.
In the Name of God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit …
Praying …
Psalm 119:129-136 The Message
129-136 Every word you give me is a miracle word— how could I help but obey? Break open your words, let the light shine out, let ordinary people see the meaning. Mouth open and panting, I wanted your commands more than anything. Turn my way, look kindly on me, as you always do to those who personally love you. Steady my steps with your Word of promise so nothing malign gets the better of me. Rescue me from the grip of bad men and women so I can live life your way. Smile on me, your servant; teach me the right way to live. I cry rivers of tears because nobody’s living by your book!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
It’s easy to overlook Joseph’s role in the Christmas story. However, when you look ever more closely to the text, you realize his obedience to God was a critical component of the story. In fact, without his obedience, we can wonder how this story would have played out. Thankfully, we don’t have to wonder about that.
Joseph is commanded by God to by faith, step into a role that truly is beyond extraordinary, and he does it with an immense measure of counter cultural courage. He listens, responds to God’s call repeatedly, with a resounding yes.
That’s why it’s enormously important for us to explore some important lessons from Joseph’s obedience. Going against the grain of what he had been taught, these lessons from his life should mightily inspire you to trust God even more deeply than you do now, to listen closely, and walk confidently, especially when you realize God is ordering your every step of your life and its not a normal step.
Go, and learn what this vital piece of God’s wisdom means …
Proverbs 16:9 New International Version
9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.
We know what the law will allow us to do and so we seek to obey the laws.
There are specific laws governing the granting of a divorce which comes from the writings and the teachings of the Mosaic laws and its rabbinical applications throughout the years. Joseph, being a man with high integrity sought them out.
Clearly, Joseph was an ardent adherent to these laws not wanting to disgrace his fiancé’ Mary. In obedience to them, he sought out to quietly, but legally divorce.
Then the angel of God interceded … Matthew 1:20-21 NIV
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
Now, the inner conflict becomes …
Strict obedience: the Laws of Moses, to the teaching of generations of Rabbi’s which he had been educated and taught in the Temple from his early boyhood?
Strict obedience to the words of an angel, message from God, in one dream?
How seriously should Joseph consider that one specific dream?
Do we take .01% seriously the supposed messages and images from our dreams? seriously enough to dramatically change the course of our lives, families lives?
Can we acknowledge or recognize, confess we believe the dream is 100% divine?
How eagerly are we to acknowledge this dream as being from God, then enter, with everything we have and everything we are (Matthew 22:34-40), to utterly set aside all of what our Father’s and Mother’s and Temple educators taught us? (read, study, apply, pray over too these Words of God-Psalm 16, 23) and choose.
powerful lessons from Joseph’s obedience in Christmas story.
1. Obedience Sometimes Forces You to Make the very Toughest of Decisions.
“Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).
When we meet Joseph in the gospel of Matthew, he is facing a dilemma.
The woman he has pledged to marry finds herself pregnant.
Because he knows he didn’t do it, he decides to divorce Mary, but he wants to do it quietly. In Jewish law, being pledged to be married was seen as being married.
According to Jewish law, when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, and he was not the father, he had a right to divorce her.
The fact he wanted to do it quietly speaks to his character, because he saved Mary from shame, judgment, and possibly even an egregious death.
Joseph faced a challenging decision because he first had to believe that Mary could be pregnant and still be a virgin.
We look back now and understand, but imagine you were the one the angel told that to. How long would it take you to believe it? Once he overcame that hurdle, his obedience also meant he had to take on the responsibility of raising a child that was not his biological child.
Yet, the Bible does not indicate that he was reluctant or scornful in doing that.
Joseph probably had to deal with his own level of shame because his fiancée winds up pregnant not by relations with her husband but by the Holy Spirit and he must come to a place of total Shalom to accept it. Who knows if others tried to talk him out of marrying Mary, and we don’t know what people said of him.
Yet, his obedience to what God told him to do meant that he was willing to handle all those hard decisions and whatever consequences came with them.
One hard truth about our Christian walk is that God will walk with you through every step. However, obedience does not mean those steps will always be easy.
Joseph most likely faced serious scorn and ridicule for his obedience to God, yet he made the decision, stuck with it and endured it. Ironically, the one child Mary gave birth to also faced scorn and ridicule, and his obedience led him to die on a cross. While obedience is necessary, don’t assume it will always be easy.
When You Know It’s the Lord, Don’t Delay Your Obedience
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24).
One quality that stood out in Joseph’s obedience was his immediate response to God’s command.
When God spoke, Joseph didn’t hesitate or question; he moved.
Think about the changes he had to experience in his life.
Here’s a man ready to marry Mary when his life takes a complete turn.
He marries a pregnant woman carrying a child that he did not father.
Yet, instead of arguing or delaying, Joseph trusts God’s voice and takes action right away.
Here is one thing we can learn from Joseph’s obedience – when you know it’s God speaking, the time to act is now.
The longer you delay, the greater the chance that doubt, distractions, or even disobedience can creep in and pull you away from what God wants you to do.
Joseph models for us a powerful principle of quick obedience. When God asks something of us, we may not always understand the “why” behind it. But it is not always about why, more importantly, it is about trusting the “who.”
Joseph may not have understood the entire process, but he trusted the God who was leading him.
Rarely in life will God give us the complete picture, at least not immediately.
However, once you know it’s God leading you, then it is time to move and not put it off.
There is a blessing in obeying without delay, following God’s lead, trusting he knows best, even when the request seems challenging or even overwhelming.
When you obey without delay, like Joseph did, that is when you will see how God’s plan unfolds powerfully in your life.
Sometimes Obedience Requires Sudden Changes
“When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. ‘Get up,’ he said, ‘take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.’ So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt” (Matthew 2:13-14).
God’s call doesn’t just require immediate obedience.
Sometimes sudden and radical changes accompany it.
This happened to Joseph.
Put yourself in his shoes for a moment. Joseph is settling in Bethlehem, starting his new life with Mary and their child.
Then, out of nowhere, God interrupts with a new command.
He now must leave the comfort of his home and move his family to Egypt.
A new country, new land, and they must go now with no advanced warning.
This was, by no means, not a gradual transition; this was an immediate one.
Think about what that would mean for him and his family.
The journey from Bethlehem to Egypt could have been anywhere from 40 to 300 miles, depending on their starting and destination points.
That’s similar to the distance between NYC and Pittsburgh, but without the convenience of modern transportation.
Joseph couldn’t fly, take a train, or drive. He had to take his young family, likely on foot or on a donkey, all while facing the truest uncertainty of what lay ahead.
However, again we see Joseph obeyed immediately and without complaint.
So what is the message for us?
Sometimes, God’s instructions will require a drastic, sudden change.
There will be times where you may even be in a comfortable position, yet God requires you to move, anyway. Obedience may mean shifting your plans and embracing the unknown, all because you trust God sees what you cannot.
Joseph teaches us to respond to God’s voice, even if it requires sudden, hard moves. Your confidence lies in the fact that when God calls, he equips too, he provides, and in every step, he is right there with you, so you don’t walk alone.
Obedience Requires us; Be in Tune to How God Is Speaking to us
If you think Joseph’s rapid obedience came from nowhere, it didn’t.
Joseph was quick to obey because he understood and recognized when God was speaking to him.
When God spoke to Joseph in a dream, he didn’t hesitate or second-guess; he moved.
Why was he able to do that?
Because he recognized how God was speaking to him.
He didn’t need a second sign or another confirmation.
He knew it was God, and that was enough for him to act immediately.
Joseph’s response challenges me, and I wonder if it challenges you, too. I
n your walk with God, the key to obedience often starts with tuning your heart to hear Him clearly.
Here is the question that is challenging – God still speaks today, but are you listening?
The challenge isn’t God speaking, but do we recognize his voice?
God might speak through Scripture, prayer, a gentle nudge in your spirit, through the counsel of others, or even through the circumstances of life.
But if we’re not familiar with his voice, then we can miss it because we don’t know it is his voice.
Joseph teaches us that if we are going to be in a relationship with the Lord, then we must know his voice.
Listening to God is not a one-time event; it’s an ongoing part of your relationship.
As you cultivate your relationship, you will be able to fine tune your ear to his voice and know when he is speaking.
The more familiar you are with his voice, the better positioned you will be to respond, even when he asks something unexpected.
So, let’s make it our priority to tune our ears and hearts to God’s voice and recognize it quickly, just like Joseph did, so we, too, obey without hesitation.
There Cannot Be Great Obedience without Great Faith
Hebrews 11:4-8 New International Version
4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.”[a] For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
7 By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going.
The last lesson to share with you from Joseph is the reality that there cannot be great obedience without great faith.
We have established that obeying God is not always easy, sometimes it is very hard. Was it easy for Joseph to marry Mary?
Was it easy to pack up his family and move to Egypt without knowing how long they would be there?
These are difficult decisions, and the only way you can follow God in these situations is if you have great faith.
When Joseph did what God asked him, all he had was trust that God would work everything out.
Let’s not pretend his obedience did not come with some trepidation, because it probably did.
After all, he was human, just like you and me.
However, when you have faith in God, your faith can calm those fears.
There is something unique about obedience.
The more you obey, the more your faith grows.
Each moment of obedience is an opportunity for God to prove himself faithful and that’s why when you walk in obedience it helps your faith to grow.
As you obediently think about Joseph today, is there something God is asking of you?
Something where you don’t know the outcome and all you can do is trust him?
These are the difficult moments that come with obedience.
I know these decisions are not always easy, but you can trust God because he will not steer you wrong.
You may not see it at first, but God has already worked out the other side of your obedience.
As you walk and obey, then things will become clearer.
If you don’t believe me, just look back at the life of Joseph.
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 8 Authorized (King James) Version
Psalm 8
To the chief Musician upon Gittith, A Psalm of David.
1 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens.
2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8 the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.
9 O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen, amen.
We live in a world where people use the word love loosely.
We say things like I love adrenalin, food, sports, or other inanimate objects.
Yet, in our “expressing love,” from all corners of the globe you will also hear people tell you how much they love Jesus from all corners and pews in church.
So my question is, how do you know you love God?
What measuring stick are you using to define what it means to really love Jesus?
John 14:15-24 The Message
The Spirit of Truth
15-17 “If you love me, show it by doing what I have told you. I will talk to the Father, and he’ll provide you another Friend so that you will always have someone with you. This Friend is the Spirit of Truth. The godless world can’t take him in because it does not have eyes to see him, doesn’t know what to look for. But you know him already because he has been staying with you, and will even be in you!
18-20 “I will not leave you orphaned. I’m coming back. In just a little while the world will no longer see me, but you’re going to see me because I am alive and you are about to come alive. At that moment you will know absolutely that I’m in my Father, and you’re in me, and I’m in you.
21 “The person who knows my commandments and keeps them, that’s who loves me. And the person who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and make myself plain to him.”
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said, “Master, why is it that you are about to make yourself plain to us but not to the world?”
23-24 “Because a loveless world,” said Jesus, “is a sightless world. If anyone loves me, he will carefully keep my word and my Father will love him—we’ll move right into the neighborhood! Not loving me means not keeping my words. The message you are hearing isn’t mine. It’s the message of the Father who sent me.
Gloria! In Excelsis Deo! Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Amen.
We live in a world where people use the word love loosely.
We say things like I love adrenalin, food, sports, or other inanimate objects.
Yet, in our “expressing love,” from all corners of the globe you will also hear people tell you how much they love Jesus from all corners and pews in church.
So my question is, how do you know you love God?
What measuring stick are you using to define what it means to really love Jesus?
In John’s narrative of the Gospel, Rabbi Jesus gives to his disciples and each of us, one “measuring stick”, which he reinforces three times in the same chapter.
“If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.” – John 14:21
“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.” – John 14:23
Here in this short exchange, on three separate occasions, Jesus identifies the one piece of evidence that proves we genuinely really truly love God.
That is our obedience.
Jesus says to his disciples, gets square into their faces and conscience: it is impossible to say we love God if we are going to blatantly and continually keep doing the things that blatantly and continually break God’s everlasting heart.
It would be like me declaring to the world how much I love my wife, but I do something I know will be continually offensive unto at her every chance I get.
That may be a lot of things, but that is definitely not and cannot be allowed to be anyone’s definition or understanding or any day to day expression of love.
What Is Obedience?
According to Merriam-Webster, obedience’s definition is “the act or instance of obeying; the quality or state of being obedient.”
Furthermore, the definition of obedient is “submissive to the restraint or command of authority: willing to obey.”
Therefore, we say the meaning of Christian obedience is the act of submitting (obeying) to the commands (laws) of God, the highest authority, creator, and Father of mankind.
If we have faith in God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, believe Christianity is the truth, obedience is our practice of living by faith, obeying the teachings of the Bible.
Read some of the best scripture quotes about obedience in this collection of Bible verses and find three simple ways to practice obedience below.
The Word of God Speaks on Obedience
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” – John 14:15
“But Peter and the apostles answered, “We must obey God rather than men.” – Acts 5:29
“As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance” – 1 Peter 1:14
“For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.” – 1 John 5:3
“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land;” – Isaiah 1:19
“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” – Luke 6:46
“But if you carefully obey his voice and do all that I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries.” – Exodus 23:22
“I have chosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.” – Psalm 119:30
“34 I am giving you a new commandment, that you [a]love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another.”– John 13:34-35
“21 The person who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who [really] loves Me; and whoever [really] loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and reveal Myself to him [I will make Myself real to him].”John 14:21
“But I do as the Father has commanded me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Rise, let us go from here.” – John 14:31
Obedience is our way of revealing, showing God that we love Him; and it is through our obedience that God recognizes us and enables us to enjoy His Love.
This in turn will allow God to reveal himself to us, and activates God’s power to work in our lives.
How to Obey God: 3 Forms of Christian Obedience
The first two forms of Christian obedience given here come from Jesus’ teaching about the “greatest commandment of the law” in Matthew 22.
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?” 37 And Jesus replied to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others].’ 40 The whole Law and the [writings of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”(verses 36-40)
1. Love the Lord your God: Obedience can be to simply honor and praise God for your life and the blessings within.
While this may seem cliché and like overstating the obvious and easy, there are many distractions in the modern world (technology in particular) that can and do 100% sidetrack us from 1000% appreciating the glory of God in our daily life.
We must focus to obey the greatest commandment of Jesus and love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, and mind, giving thanks to Him continually.
2. Love your neighbor as yourself: Continuing with the teaching from Matthew 22, our next example of obedience is to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.
In order to love our neighbor, friends, and even family, we must forgive them for their trespasses against us.
As the Lord’s prayer says, “And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Matthew 6:14 tells us, “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.”
Because humans are so completely imperfect, trespasses against us will occur, so it is vital to forgive in order to love our neighbor.
Obeying God means putting God’s commandments echelons above our own egoic desires to hold resentment towards others – forgive and let go of anger!
3. Prayer: The Word of God for His Children literally tells us to “pray without ceasing” in 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
To live by faith means to live by prayer, going to God in humble supplication and genuine heartfelt repentance and complete expressions of thanksgiving.
If we feel we you are struggling with understanding or practicing obedience, pray to the Holy Spirit for empowerment, for guidance and for inspiration.
Moreover, our practicing the discipline of regular prayer itself is a form of obedience, as scripture says to humble ourselves in God’s sight and to pray.
How Our Obedience Connects Us to Our Love of God
3 Ways Our Obedience Connects to Your Love of God, Jesus, Holy Spirit:
1. Our obedience acknowledges we heartily agree with God’s position.
Psalm 46:8-10 The Message
8-10 Attention, all! See the marvels of God! He plants flowers and trees all over the earth, Bans war from pole to pole, breaks all the weapons across his knee. “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”
When you choose to give God your maximum attention, choose to obey God, and yes, obedience is definitely a choice, we tell God he is right and agree with his position – God alone is God and God alone is Exalted above all other things.
The agreement does not mean we automatically, immediately like his position, but absolutely agree that his position is absolutely, immutably, 100% correct.
For example, someone may hurt us, and we choose to obey God to forgive them.
Now we may not want to forgive them, and it may be difficult to forgive them, but we do it because God commands it, and we know it’s the right thing to do.
Even though it mightily hurts, we do it because we agree with God’s position.
2 . Your obedience tells Jesus he is welcome.
Psalm 5:11-12 The Message
11-12 But you’ll welcome us with open arms when we run for cover to you. Let the party last all night! Stand guard over our celebration. You are famous, God, for welcoming God-seekers, for decking us out in delight.
Obedience is an unequivocal expression of “arms wide open” welcome.
It communicates to Jesus He is welcome in our lives to do what He wants.
When we choose to disobey, we are telling Jesus we don’t want His ways, and in this or any area of my life, “I don’t want you, and I don’t want you interfering.”
I know those seem like unnecessarily harsh words, but when we reject his commands, that is what you are doing and that is what we are saying to Him.
Disobedience, which is sin, says we exclusive trust or exclusively desire our own something more than we exclusively desire God or our relationship with Him.
When you put it in that “love language,” it stings our souls just a wee bit more.
Our obedience or disobedience will determine which one we really want more, loveless sin or the things of God; our choice will show where our love resides.
3. Our obedience is about our actions, not just about our words.
Psalm 119:1-8 The Message
119 1-8 You’re blessed when you stay on course, walking steadily on the road revealed by God. You’re blessed when you follow his directions, doing your best to find him. That’s right—you don’t go off on your own; you walk straight along the road he set. You, God, prescribed the right way to live; now you expect us to live it. Oh, that my steps might be steady, keeping to the course you set; Then I’d never have any regrets in comparing my life with your counsel. I thank you for speaking straight from your heart; I learn the pattern of your righteous ways. I’m going to do what you tell me to do; don’t ever walk off and leave me.
When Jesus made those statements in John 14:15-24, he was really saying this.
“Don’t tell me you love me, show me. It can be very easy to declare how much you love Jesus with your lips. Anyone can do that.”
It is far different for us to make the choices, sometimes difficult ones, to be obedient, which show that we unequivocally love him more than anything.
However, it is in these places that our obedience becomes the most convincing evidence of our love because we will always choose to do the hard “God” things, even when you may not want to.
Not because we are motivated by fear of humiliation, persecution, retaliation, but because we are unequivocally motivated by a love that desires to please God.
Serve at church and in the community.
Luke 2:36-38 The Message
36-38 Anna the prophetess was also there, a daughter of Phanuel from the tribe of Asher. She was by now a very old woman. She had been married seven years and a widow for eighty-four. She never left the Temple area, worshiping night and day with her fasting’s and prayers. At the very time Simeon was praying, she showed up, broke into an anthem of praise to God, and talked about the child to all who were waiting expectantly for the freeing of Jerusalem.
If we ourselves choose how to serve instead of obeying the Lord’s direction, our efforts are simply good works rather than an expression of love to Him.
Intersecting Faith and Life:
Psalm 139:23-24 The Message
23-24 Investigate my life, O God, find out everything about me; Cross-examine and test me, get a clear picture of what I’m about; See for yourself whether I’ve done anything wrong— then guide me on the road to eternal life.
I want to leave you with a simple challenge today.
Take some quality time to ponder and meditate upon your life, see if there are any areas where you are knowingly, unknowingly wrestling with disobedience.
It could be something you should be doing or need to stop doing.
Either way, let the motivation to change come from your love of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit which motivates you and drives you onward, to walk in obedience.
After all, if you love him, you will do what He says.
Joshua 24:15 The Message
15 “If you decide that it’s a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you’d rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you’re now living. As for me and my family, we’ll worship God.”
Our whole lives can be about “Hearing God’s Word, receiving God’s Word, and even believing God’s Word” but means nothing if we do not obey God’s Word.
God’s love for us was demonstrated through the sending of His Son Jesus (1 John 4:9-10).
Our compliance, our obedience to the Father’s known will reveals exactly how deeply we choose to care about Him – take steps each day to show God our love.
In the name of God the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 65:1-8 The Message
65 1-2 Silence is praise to you, Zion-dwelling God, And also obedience. You hear the prayer in it all.
2-8 We all arrive at your doorstep sooner or later, loaded with guilt, Our sins too much for us— but you get rid of them once and for all. Blessed are the chosen! Blessed the guest at home in your place! We expect our fill of good things in your house, your heavenly manse. All your salvation wonders are on display in your trophy room. Earth-Tamer, Ocean-Pourer, Mountain-Maker, Hill-Dresser, Muzzler of sea storm and wave crash, of mobs in noisy riot— Far and wide they’ll come to a stop, they’ll stare in awe, in wonder. Dawn and dusk take turns calling, “Come and worship.”
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 