JOHN 14:21 – Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.
THEME OF THE DAY. THE GREATEST MOTIVATOR FOR OBEYING GOD. Obeying God. In those two words is the summary of all things. Angels obey God; creation obeys God, Satan and his demons obey God, and eventually every human being will bow in obedience to God. The Apostle Paul tells of that fast-approaching day – Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11). This type of obedience is willed by God. It won’t be a choice. Not so for Christians.
In the most fundamental of truths, salvation is God’s work in human beings doing two things. First, creating a people for His own possession for the purpose of obeying Him. This is implied in the New Covenant when God puts His fear in us – I will give them one heart and one way, that they may fear me forever, for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me (Jeremiah 32:39-40). The other work of salvation in the Christian is the desire to obey Him. The Psalmist captures the heartfelt passion in every believer for obeying God – Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it (Psalm 119:35).
As great as these truths are, the reality is we are but dust and still battle the flesh. Our obedience wavers. We get defeated by sin. We stumble. Inconsistency easily sets into our lives. So, where may we look as a motivator to sustain us to a more stable, even deepening, life of obedience? Today’s scripture and Jesus’ promise; a promise of fellowship with Him. Go back to the scripture and read it again. Jesus says, “If you obey me, I will make myself real to you. I will come to you and you will know me. Really know me for I will manifest myself to you.”. The greatest motivator ever for obeying God is this experience – knowing Him. Not knowing about Him, but really getting to know Him on a level of heart to heart intimacy that will thrill our souls, satisfy our hearts, and create a longing to be with Him that almost makes us “burst at the seams” in the innermost part of our being.
Obeying God. It is salvation’s purpose and design. It is also the path, the only path, to real fellowship with the Lord. Let this motivate us to prayer, the Word, and then put both into our lives by active obedience knowing the Lord will reward us with the greatest gift possible – intimacy with Himself.
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for the privilege of obeying You that I might know You.”
QUOTE: “To be motivated to obey God by the promise of knowing Him is the greatest of all motivators.”