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If You Love Him, You Obey Him
Obedience is the outward expression of your love for God.
Jesus clearly indicated a person’s obedience reveals his or her love relationship with God.
James, in his letter to believers, strongly emphasized that faith without active obedience is dead—useless (James 2:26). When the disciples obeyed Jesus, they saw and experienced God’s mighty power working in and around them. When they did not act in faith and do His will, they did not experience God’s power.
God blesses those who obey Him (Deuteronomy 28:1-14). The benefits of obedience are beyond our imagination, but they include:
- Being God’s people (Jeremiah 7:23);
- Having a solid foundation when the storms of life come against you (Luke 6:46-49); and
- Knowing spiritual truth (John 7:16-17).
Choosing not to obey in His way and on His timetable is rebellion, and such disobedience brings serious consequences. Delayed obedience is disobedience.
Psalm 119:33-35:
Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.
Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
Obey What You Already Know to be God’s Will
We Christians long for an important assignment from God, yet we are unwilling to prove ourselves faithful in the smaller, seemingly less important tasks.
God doesn’t let you pick and choose which commands you want to obey. He wants you to obey all of His commands out of your love relationship with Him. When He sees you are faithful and obedient in a little, He will trust you with more.
People frequently ask, “When a person disobeys God’s will, does God give him or her a second chance?” The answer is yes—sometimes. He does not always give second chances, and He is not obligated to.
When he does, isn’t it comforting knowing that God gives second chances?
Consider Jonah, who ran from God’s command to preach to the Ninevites. Then, he obeyed the second time (though reluctantly). On his first day, Jonah preached a one-sentence message, and God used his sermon to call 120,000 people to repentance! God’s response to Jonah and Nineveh taught Jonah how deeply God cares for all peoples and wants them to experience salvation (Jonah 4:2).
If God allowed people only one mistake, Moses would never have become the deliverer of his people. He made several mistakes (Exodus 2:11-15).
David grievously sinned (2 Samuel 11), and so did Peter (Matthew 26:69-75). Saul (Paul) began his mistaken “service for God” by persecuting Christians (Acts 9:1-2).
Because God is interested in developing your character, at times He lets you proceed in your wrong direction, but He will never let you go far without disciplining you to bring you back to Him.
Using a God-centered approach, God leads you to pray according to His will and to believe that He will bring to pass what He has led you to pray. Then, continue praying in faith and watching for Him to keep His word.
Moment of Truth
In the process of experiencing God, obedience is your moment of truth. Your obedience (or lack of it) will:
- Reveal what you believe about God;
- Determine whether you will experience His mighty work in and through you;
- Determine whether you will come to know Him more intimately.
As you grow in your faith and obey God at every step, you’ll move from a head knowledge of God to a personal, experiential, dynamic relationship with the Person of Jesus Christ.
The Cost of Obedience
Following God frequently leads to criticism and misunderstanding. Jesus told His followers to expect persecution if they followed Him (John 15:18-21). Paul concluded one letter by saying, “I carry the marks of Jesus on my body” (Galatians 6:17). Paul didn’t have these experiences before he began doing the will of his Lord.
The Scriptures are replete with examples of costly adjustments and obedience:
Moses and the Israelites
When Moses did as the Lord instructed and told Pharoah to set Israel free, what did it cost the Israelites? Their workload was increased and the Israelite foremen were beaten. Ultimately they were delivered, but the Israelites paid a high price for their leader to do God’s will (Exodus 5:1-21).
Jesus & Mary
When Jesus went to the cross, what was the cost to His mother as she watched Him suffer and die? Is there a more agonizing experience than to watch your son be cruelly killed? (John 19:17-37).
We must not overlook this real element in knowing and doing God’s will. God will reveal His plans and purposes to you, but your obedience will cost you and those around you.
God Works Through You
When you obey God, He will accomplish His purposes through you. If you do not obey, you will miss some of the most exciting experiences of your life.
When God purposes to do something through you, the assignment will have God-sized dimensions. This is because God wants to reveal Himself to you and to those around you.
Consider the pattern we saw in Moses’ life:
- God invited Moses to join Him in delivering Israel.
- God told Moses what he was to do.
- Moses obeyed.
- God accomplished what He proposed to do.
- Moses and those around him came to know God more powerfully and intimately.
If you are obedient, God will accomplish amazing things through you. You will need to be careful that any testimony about what God has done gives glory to Him. Pride may cause you to want to recount your experience because it makes you feel special. You will want to declare the amazing deeds of the Lord, but you must avoid any sense of pride. Therefore, “let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).
You Come to Know God
Jesus identified Himself with the I AM (the name of God revealed to Moses at the burning bush) of the Old Testament. Jesus said, “I am…”
- The “bread of life” (John 6:35)
- The “light of the world” (John 8:12)
- The “gate” (John 10:9)
- The “good shepherd” (John 10:11)
- The “resurrection and the life” (John 11:25)
- The “way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6)
- The “true vine” (John 15:1)
Questions & Answers
Why does God seem to work so slowly in my life?
You may be saying, “God, hurry up and make me mature.” And God is saying, “I’m moving just as fast in your life as you will allow Me. When you are ready for your next lesson, I will bring a new truth into your life.”
Why doesn’t God give me a big assignment?
God matches your assignment with your character and faith. If you want a large assignment, you must allow Him to grow your character and faith.
Let God orient you to Himself. The servant does not tell the Master what kind of task he wants. The servant waits on his Master for the assignment. Be patient and wait. Waiting on the Lord should not be an idle time for you. Let God use times of waiting to mold and shape your character and faith. Let God use those times to purify your life and to make you a clean vessel for His service.
What is happening when I obey and the doors close?
Suppose you sense God’s call to a task, a place, or an assignment. You set about to do it, but everything goes wrong. Often people say, “I guess that was not God’s will.”
God calls you into a relationship with Himself. Be careful how you interpret circumstances. Many times we jump to a conclusion too quickly.
Most of the time when God calls you or gives you a direction, He is not calling you to do something for Him. He is telling you what He is about to do where you are. For instance, God told Paul He was going to reach the Gentiles through him. God, not Paul, was going to reach the Gentiles. Paul started to go in one direction, and the Spirit prevented him (Acts 16:6-10).
When you begin to obey God and circumstances seem to close doors of opportunity, go back to the Lord and clarify what God said.
When God calls you, let Him work out the details in His timing. In the meantime, do all you know to do; then wait for the next word of instruction.
How can I know whether the word I receive is from God, my selfish desires, or Satan?
When Canadian Mounties train officers in anticounterfeiting work, they don’t let a trainee focus on counterfeit bills. Instead, trainees thoroughly study the genuine bill so they can readily identify anything that doesn’t measure up to that standard.
Similarly, you need to come to know God’s voice so well that it becomes easy to recognize a counterfeit.
Does God have one plan for my life for eternity?
Does God plan your life for eternity and then turn you loose to work out His intentions? God’s desire is for a relationship. We get in trouble when we try to get God to tell us if He wants us to be a Christian business person, a worship leader, a school-teacher, a pastor, or a missionary.
We want to know if He wants us to serve in our home country or go to Japan or Canada. God doesn’t usually give you a one-time assignment and leave you there forever. Yes, you may be placed in one job in one place for an extended period, but God’s assignments come to you on a daily basis.
God will never give you an assignment He will not enable you to complete. That is what a spiritual gift is—a supernatural empowering to accomplish the assignment God gives you. Don’t focus on your talents, abilities, and interests in determining God’s will. I have heard many people say, “I would really like to do that; therefore, it must be God’s will.” That kind of response is self-centered.
God plans a relationship, not a job description. Let God work out the details in His timing. We must know the ways of God so thoroughly that if something doesn’t measure up to God’s ways, we will know it is not from God and will turn away from it. God will never give an assignment He will not enable you to complete.
Are you submitting to Christ’s lordship on a daily basis?
Summary
Both major adjustments and costly obedience come before you experience God’s presence and power. When God gives you an assignment, the obedience may require sacrifice for you and those around you. Nevertheless, obedience to Him is not an option—it is required of every servant.
Consider these elements:
- There is a difference between having Jesus as your Friend and you being a friend of Jesus.
- Jesus clearly says, “When I look to see who’s a friend of mine, there is one thing I look for, and that’s obedience.”
- There is no substitute for obedience—not worship, not doctrine & right belief, and not prayer.
- There comes a point where you don’t need to pray anymore; you just need to obey.
- Take a spiritual inventory of everything you know God has told you to do. Obey and it will open up a new level of relationship with God.
God accomplishes what He purposed, and you will be overwhelmed with the experience of God’s power and presence. You and those around you will come to a greater knowledge of God.
Pray and agree with God that anything He asks is reasonable. Commit yourself to pay the price to obey His will. Begin watching now for the first opportunity to obey what God asks.