“I obey Your statutes, for I love them greatly.” -Psalm 119:167

Willing obedience is born out of love. Compulsion comes from fear of punishment. The Lord has not made us His puppets, but gifted man created in His image with a will. God then pursues us to Him, speaking of His love, power and redemption through creation, the Bible, and other Christians, to name a few ways. We then submit to His Lordship even if our affection and belief is small. God is faithful to grow the believer in grace as we lay down our will for His each day. 

Yet God says in His statutes that He demands holiness from His people. How can you and I live up to impossible standards? This is the Good News. It is only through the righteousness of Christ any of us can stand before God without fear of His wrath. God loved the world so much that He sent His One and Only Son to die so that we don’t have to perish eternally. God made a way for us to be with Him forever, through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross. His death, burial and resurrection is the Christian’s victory. 

When my son does not want to obey with what I call a “happy heart”, redirection is needed. I am teaching him to want to obey, born out of respect for me his mother, and hopefully one day, a love for God. If I don’t appreciate obedience coupled with grumbling and whining, how much more is my Father displeased when I act that way? By God’s grace, He continues to teach me how to love Him by loving His commands with willing obedience. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). The more you and I pursue God in worship, the stronger our love for Him grows, because we are getting to know through deeper fellowship the lover of our souls. May God’s grace open our eyes to His love for redeemed sinners, and lead us in the path of obedience with happy hearts.

Grace upon grace,

April

Growing deeper: John 3:14-21; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Peter 1:3-21; 1 John 4:11-19