JOHN 14:15-23 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.  “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Yet a little while and the world will see me no more, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you.  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.” Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, “Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself to us, and not to the world?” Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.””

THEME OF THE DAY:  WHY OBEY GOD?  The question identifying the theme of today’s devotion is a worthy one.  It should be asked periodically as a healthy tool for self-examination of one’s spiritual condition.  There are three correct answers.  The first two I will identify are logical and reasonable.  The last one is the best one and falls in line with today’s scripture.

First, it is right to obey God because He is the Creator and we, His creation.  This relationship just makes sense. He is God. He created us. Obedience to Him is right.

The second reason to obey God is closely related to the first.  We obey God because He commands us to obey Him.  Not only is He our Creator deserving obedience out of that relationship, but He is the absolute authority in the universe.  By His sovereign control of all things and people, what He wills, happens.  What He commands is to be obeyed.  His authority is to be submitted to and that in active obedience to His commands. Both of these answers as to why we obey God fall short of the ultimate or primary reason.  Within this one are two elements.  Jesus provides them in today’s scripture. Here they are . . .

We obey God to express our love for Him. Jesus said, “If you love Me you will keep My commandments” and “Whoever has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me.”  It is okay to hum the little chorus, “I love You, Lord” but it is better to live life showing our love for Him and that by obedience. Now would be a good time to ask, “Do I intentionally obey God because I want to show my love for Him?”  When we are obeying out of love, the Christian life is lived with confidence in God, and joy in God.

That leads to the second element in why we obey God; we obey to know Him, to be close to Him, to enjoy Him.  Jesus gives us this great promise – “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.” Wow!  What a promise!  Jesus tells us, “Obey Me, and You will know and experience the Father and myself.”

And that, friends, is the goal in the Christian life – to know and experience God; an experience of deepening fellowship and love with God.

So, why do we obey God?  May it be because we want to know Him more which is to love Him more while experiencing more of His love for us.

PRAYER:  Lord, may my obedience to You be out of love and desire to draw nearer to you.

REFLECTION:  Obedience is our expression and affirmation of love to God. The desire comes with new birth.