How to show God love through obedience

“I will obey the first time I’m told. I will obey right away. Never asking why, never with a sigh, I will obey right away.” How beautiful it was to hear my elementary aged son come home singing this song. The sheer delight that rose from the depths of my soul as I imagined this becoming a reality still brings a hopeful smile to my spirit. That little boy is now almost a legal adult and I would probably sell a few body parts to get him to be enthusiastic about that song nowadays. Doesn’t every parent dream to have a kid that is obedient with a happy heart? But obedience doesn’t just apply to children, obedience is imperative for well-being over the entire course of our lives.

Obedience, as a word, in and of itself, does not cause me to smile on the inside.  You know the words that when you just hear them it makes you want to do the opposite, that is how I feel about the word ‘obedience.’ I mean, even as I type it, there is just an ewwww feeling that surges through me. However, as I have matured I realize that obedience is not a curse word or method used to control me, obedience is a conduit for blessing. And who doesn’t want to be #blessed?

As an adult, you won’t really have too many people telling or asking you obey them. It just becomes more of an inherent part of life. We obey the traffic rules for safety reasons and because we don’t want to get fines. We obey or at least comply with our company’s policies and our bosses because we need to make a living. The stakes are a lot more costly for us grown-ups when it comes to obeying the laws of the land. But what about obedience unto God? We don’t always see the consequences as clearly or quickly and He doesn’t shout out His commands at us or demand we obey. He really leaves it up to us…we get to choose.

Obedience sounds limiting

I think obedience or the call to obey gets a bad rap because it’s often linked to harshness or religiosity. As I child I remember being verbally beat down when I did not obey, so I began to associate obedience with punishment and not love. When I chose to obey it was out of fear of punishment and when that was no longer on the table, I made up my mind I could do whatever I wanted to do. This led me down a path that God did not design for me, He still showed me love and grace but years later I still deal with the natural consequences of disobedience. When you obey out of fear and not love, the heart is not connected and it is not changed. Ultimately, God calls us to obey His commands and His ways in an effort to protect us and keep us from harm. He values obedience more than sacrifice. Too often, religion pushes acts of service and sacrifice as a way to please God, but this is contrary to what God’s word actually says. There is nothing we can do and no amount of good works we can perform to earn God’s love and favor. He gives it to us freely.  Obedience is better than sacrifice.  1 Samuel 15:22 So why do we claim to know Him and love Him, yet we don’t obey Him?

Do you think God has too many rules? Or maybe that the commands of God will keep you from enjoying life?  Maybe you don’t even really know what God expects from you. There are only two commands that Jesus urges us to obey, only two.  

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Matthew 22:37-39

That is it. Just those two commands. And Jesus says, “If you love me, Keep my commandments.” God’s commands are not burdensome, they are not harsh, they will bring you an abundant life. Sure if you are engaged in things that don’t line up with God’s ways, it may be painful to let them go, but it will be so worth it. Your life will be more free from unnecessary drama, guilt, shame, and harsh consequences that come with disobedience.

How to know if you’re obeying God

God says IF you love me, THEN you will obey me. So it starts with love. When you love someone, you spend time with them, you tell people about them, you want to do things for them and with them, you put them first. They are always on your mind and in your thoughts. You think about how your actions will affect or reflect on them, you are mindful about them. The same applies for God. When we love Him, we are mindful of Him, we want to do things to honor Him and bring glory to Him. We want to represent Him well. Sharing the gospel with others and telling  them about the goodness of God becomes natural. We love him with all our heart, soul and mind and nothing comes before Him. And as we continue to mature in Christ, we begin to love others as we love ourselves. We look out for our neighbors, we bear other people’s burdens, we forgive our brothers and sisters, just like we would want for ourselves. Ahhh, the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

He loved you first

It is only because of the immeasurable love God has for us that He wants us to obey Him. He wants us to have an abundant, prosperous life with goodness and mercy following us all of our days.  He is not looking to punish us for disobedience nor is He just waiting to berate us when we mess up, He just wants our whole heart. A heart that is devoted to Him wholly. Because when all of our being is in love with God, we will obey His commands. Obedience to God brings about blessings. You get to choose who you will obey, the world and its empty promises, your own self or the God who created you and calls you to walk in hope towards your destiny?

Choose love. Choose life. Choose obedience to God. And watch Him do more than you could ever think, ask or imagine.

I only gave them this command: ‘Obey me and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do all that I command, and good things will happen to you.’ Jeremiah 7:23