Parents always want their kids to be obedient to them. They want them to listen to their direction and do ask they ask. However, we know that children have to be taught to obey, and they need to learn what that means and why it is good for them. Good parents don’t ask their kids to obey them because they want to control everything they do, but they do it because they love their kids and they want them to understand the difference between right and wrong.
God does the same thing with us. As his children, he needs to teach us how to obey. As our loving Father he asks us to obey him so that we can bring him honor and glory. “But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him” (1 John 2:5). We should desire to obey God because we know that his way leads to life and so that we can continually grow in godly character. If we truly love God, we should want to obey him. “Jesus replied, ‘All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them’” (John 14:23). God does not ask to obey him because he wants control over us, but because he loves us and wants us to live the best life we can. Obedience to God may seem to some to be a burden, but it is actually freedom. “But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it” (James 1:25). We show God how much we love him by our willingness to be obedient to his commands and all that he has called us to do.
If we say we are Christians, then we must have a desire to follow Christ and to be obedient to him. If not, what does that make us? “If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth” (1 John 2:4). Truly desiring to walk in obedience to Christ is one of the most important parts of Christian living. How are we supposed to live for God if we are not willing to follow all he has commanded? Any life that is not walking in obedience to Christ is not a true Christian life.
Are you feeling like obedience to God is a burden? Or do you struggle to obey? Know that God understands that we will not be perfect at this, but he is always wants us to desire to obey and to give our best efforts. Use Scripture to help you understand how to obey God, and spend some time in prayer to see how God might be leading you to obey him more.
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord” (Psalm 119:1)
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