I don't like making up a bed. I just don't see the necessity in it. I get out of the bed in the morning and plan on getting back in it in the evening. I see it kinda as a waste of time. Now my wife sees it completely difference. It makes her happy to know that when she comes home the bed has been made up. She says it just looks cleaner and makes her feel better. Now I love my wife with all my heart. She is the most important person on earth to me. I want to make her happy. She has asked me to please make up the bed because I am usually the last one out of it. Now I would not call this a command, but it is a strong request. Now I could get up every morning and with disgust on my face and frustration in my attitude, I could make up the bed. I would do it solely because it was required, kinda. Or I could get up every morning with a smile on my face and make up the bed because I love my wife. It is not drudgery it is a privilege. It is a welcome activity because I know when my wife sees that I have made up the bed she sees that I love her. She doesn't see me as just granting a request she sees me doing something for her because I love her. I want to do it. I don't have to do it.
Now this brings me to my topic in this blog: Love and Obedience. I was Just Thinking about why we keep Jesus' commands. Why do we obey Him? I believe that most people follow God's commands and obey Jesus because they are afraid. It is a requirement. We love our neighbor because we are afraid of the consequences if we don't. We preach the commands of Jesus with a hint of "He'll get you if you don't obey." I wish we could learn to love Jesus with our obedience. I want my following of His commandments to be something I am yearning to participate in because I love Him. Not because I am afraid He will send me to Hell! It excites me to see my wife pleased when I make up the bed. Does it excite us to know that our love of God motivates us to do as He has asked us to do. I want to share with you a few of Jesus' words, "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15 Seems to me that the motivating factor for Jesus was "love." Love is what spurs me on to doing what Jesus wants me do. I believe that if we love God we will do what He wants us to do without feeling obligated. We will do it out of a desire to please Him because we love Him. I believe this is essential to understanding what Jesus said when He talked about freedom: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." John 8:31-32 Loving God brings about obedience which then sets me free to be who God has created me to be. I want to be obedient because of my love of God not because of my fear of Him. It happens because of my relationship with Him. What do you think???
David
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Amen! Being raised in a Christian home and having accepted Christ as my Savior as a young child, I have seen my efforts to obey His commands as just the way it is. I've never even thought about the "fear factor." It is just who I am. I suppose I could choose to be unkind or greedy or indifferent or dishonest, but I choose not to be because I love Jesus and He loves me. Therefore, I want to love everybody else, too.
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