An enduring memory of
raising my children when they were little was the paradox of their unabated,
abiding love for me and yet their proclivity for disobedience. They could so easily flip from one to the
other. In one moment they showed love
and affection by picking a flower and bringing it to me. The next moment might bring a tantrum for not
getting their own way. In short, they
had divided hearts because of their strong wills. They showed both the will to please and the
will to control. The words “I love you,
Daddy!” were matched with “You’re not the boss of me!” Herein lies the confusion of the human heart
in relation to God, our Father. We
desire to please Him because we love Him.
At the same time, we don’t want to surrender our will and follow his
leading. Consequently, we often choose
the path of disobedience. That path is sin. In some ways, nothing has changed
since our own childhood.
What’s at the very heart of
this dilemma? We don’t love God
enough. Toward the end of Christ’s
ministry as He moved closer to His arrest and crucifixion, a teacher of the law
asked Him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” Jesus replied, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our
God is one. Love the Lord you God with
all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your
strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than
these.” In other words, Christ puts an
absolute premium on loving God, neighbor, and self. This comes as no surprise for the very
essence of God is pure love. While we know this, it is difficult to
consistently live the love. Our will
gets in the way. Our proclivity for sin
is too great. Sin is disobedience to the
Great Command to love the Lord with all our heart. As adults, sin is more subtle. We hold grudges, engage in soft gossip,
maneuver for the spotlight on self, fall short in compassion, fail to help when
obviously needed, and ignore God much of the time in favor of the world’s
attractions and distractions. Like our
children, our love for God remains half-hearted.
Ask any parent about their
child’s love and obedience. They will
likely have the same memory as mine saying to their children at some point, “If
you love me, you will obey me.” This is
so basic. When love is so strong and
focused, obedience naturally follows because the child wants to please the
father. Jesus says (John 14: 15 &
23), “If you love me, you will obey what I command . . . If anyone loves me, he
will obey my teaching.” The true test of
love is obedience, not because we fear the wrath of God, but because we so
respect Him and love Him that the only natural response to his lavish grace is
obedience. This is not something we can
just do on our own. We need help,
wisdom, strength, and discipline to stay the course. This is why immediately after saying, “If you
love me, you will obey me . . .” Jesus makes provision for the help we
need. He introduces the Holy Spirit by
saying “. . . And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor
to be with you forever, the Spirit of truth. . . You know him, for he lives
with you and will be in you.”
In short, the true test of
love is obedience with an undivided heart.
God loves us so much that he makes provision, the Holy Spirit, for our
obedience. He does not force us to
obey. He does make it possible for us to
choose to align our will with His. He
loves us and showers us with grace. Then
he waits for us to show our love in response to His by our demonstrable willingness
to walk in obedience with Him. Thanks be to God!
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