Love Equals Obedience
How obedient do you consider yourself to be?
Verse of the Day
Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
Today’s Devotional
What does the word “home” mean to you? Think about it, and we’ll come back to that.
Now, how about the word “obedience”…how does that word sit with you? If I’m honest, the word “obedience” creates a reaction in me that is negative. Like, the word makes me feel instantly oppressed and rebellious.
But then I take a deep breath and think about parenting my daughter. When she was a child, there were many things I wanted her to obey. And there were reasons for all of them. Like brushing her teeth… I didn’t want her to brush her teeth just to have fresh breath or to learn good habits, I wanted to save her from the pain of cavities and root canals. I wanted her to obey about not running out into the street because I wanted to save her from the pain (or death) of being hit by a car. But she was too young to understand all of the consequences of disobedience. She could not understand what a root canal was, or how damaging it would be to be hit by a car. That was beyond her capabilities.
And this, in my opinion, is how God sees obedience. It’s not to be mean or oppressive. He simply wants to save me from pain. And the consequences of disobedience. And those consequences and pain may be beyond my understanding today.
And then my brain goes here: “I don’t understand all of Jesus’s teachings, so how can I obey them all?” But, like we read yesterday, Jesus simplifies the whole thing by telling us to love God and love others. And while I may not know exactly what to do in each specific situation that is most loving, I can ask for help. When I do that, the Holy Spirit always shows me the answer. And I will admit that often the most loving thing to do is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what I want to do. Because I am selfish.
But even though I am selfish, I love Jesus. So I want to obey. And when I don’t want to obey a specific leading, I can ask for help. Because more than anything I want Jesus to be the King of my life.
So let’s go back to what “home” means. “Home” to me is where my people are. It’s safe and cozy and full of laughter and love and comfort.
All I have to do is love the One who saved me and obey Him. When I do that, “we” (meaning the Father AND the Son) make their home WITH ME! So Jesus and God the Father become my people. They create a life for me that is safe, cozy, full of laughter, love, and comfort. That seems like a pretty good deal to me.
Don’t misunderstand….Life will still be challenging. But after a hard day, or in the middle of a really hard season, I can retreat to my “home” to get the strength and encouragement needed to keep going. From the only real Source of strength and hope.
Journal Prompts
Answer only the questions that seem relevant to you today.
How do you feel about your call to obey?
What, specifically, do you need to obey today?
Where do you struggle with the command to love God and love others?
How has God shown you that HE has made His home with you? If you have good examples for that last question, make sure to express your gratitude for His extravagant love.