© Rooted In Christ Ministries 2008
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
Psalm 1:1-3
Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Joshua 1:8
Joshua 1:8
Devote
yourself to the Lord
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the
faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
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Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37
and with all your mind.
This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37
Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is he one who loves me.
John 14:21
The verse goes on to say, "He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
Is there a greater proof of our love for Jesus than obeying His commands? The word obedience often sounds dusty, outdated and negative. But without obedience nothing functions. No society can really exist or at least function to a certain degree if there is not some consistent amount of obedience to the law and customs. Obedience is not always easy and awakes something within us. Is it the flesh that starts to act up and says, "No, I want to do it my way."
In the moment we will get confronted with obedience either at work, school or our homes, we get confronted with the decision, "Obey or not obey? What are the consequences?" We often measure our obedience by the consequences. When we give in to temptation, we have stopped asking about the consequences and nothing else but our immediate pleasure matters.
With time we learn that we have to obey in some situations and submit and realize it is actually not that bad. But what happens when we have to obey and don't feel like it? To do it the other way seems so much nicer and especially when we gain something from it. As an example, just thinking about lying on ones' taxes-there is a payoff.
When confronted with Jesus' words our battle within is exposed. His words can sound so nice but when we have to put them into action, a war inside starts. Somehow obedience reminds us of discipline. We must limit ourselves, battle our own tendencies, and say "no" to the selfish pig inside us all. To learn a discipline and to hold on to it is a discipline in itself. We are losing discipline more and more. Comfort becomes the most important virtue and seduces so easily. We seem to be losing the ability to pull ourselves out of laziness.
If we have attained some obedience and a little bit of discipline that does not mean that it comes easily to us or that we always enjoy it. Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is he one who loves me." He equates our obedience with loving him.
Would it be easier to obey if we would do it in love? Dead obedience can feel like torture but obedience done in love can bring joy. With love of our Lord as our foundation, our obedience will lighten the load of any heaviness we might feel in our obedience. When He sees our willingness He gives us strength. If we struggle in one area and the pull toward sin is strong, we can come to Him in our weakness and throw ourselves into His arms saying, "I can't do it. Now it is your turn." This is what brings Jesus joy.
The great thing in this verse is that God the Father will love us and will reveal Himself to us. In our obedience we get to know God better and He shows Himself to us. To be a Christian is never easy. It is a constant struggle. When we experience God more and more in our lives then we can't resist His love anymore and will be drawn to love Him. Through this love we want to obey, to please Him and to bring Him joy. This overcoming, this carrying on is what makes our Christianity. It is always this: "Hold on to the end". Daily we are challenged to obey or not obey. May our love for Jesus drive us and strengthen us to say "No" to sin and "Yes" to what Jesus expects of us.
Sandra Rooney Copyright 2008
John 14:21
The verse goes on to say, "He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."
Is there a greater proof of our love for Jesus than obeying His commands? The word obedience often sounds dusty, outdated and negative. But without obedience nothing functions. No society can really exist or at least function to a certain degree if there is not some consistent amount of obedience to the law and customs. Obedience is not always easy and awakes something within us. Is it the flesh that starts to act up and says, "No, I want to do it my way."
In the moment we will get confronted with obedience either at work, school or our homes, we get confronted with the decision, "Obey or not obey? What are the consequences?" We often measure our obedience by the consequences. When we give in to temptation, we have stopped asking about the consequences and nothing else but our immediate pleasure matters.
With time we learn that we have to obey in some situations and submit and realize it is actually not that bad. But what happens when we have to obey and don't feel like it? To do it the other way seems so much nicer and especially when we gain something from it. As an example, just thinking about lying on ones' taxes-there is a payoff.
When confronted with Jesus' words our battle within is exposed. His words can sound so nice but when we have to put them into action, a war inside starts. Somehow obedience reminds us of discipline. We must limit ourselves, battle our own tendencies, and say "no" to the selfish pig inside us all. To learn a discipline and to hold on to it is a discipline in itself. We are losing discipline more and more. Comfort becomes the most important virtue and seduces so easily. We seem to be losing the ability to pull ourselves out of laziness.
If we have attained some obedience and a little bit of discipline that does not mean that it comes easily to us or that we always enjoy it. Jesus said, "Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is he one who loves me." He equates our obedience with loving him.
Would it be easier to obey if we would do it in love? Dead obedience can feel like torture but obedience done in love can bring joy. With love of our Lord as our foundation, our obedience will lighten the load of any heaviness we might feel in our obedience. When He sees our willingness He gives us strength. If we struggle in one area and the pull toward sin is strong, we can come to Him in our weakness and throw ourselves into His arms saying, "I can't do it. Now it is your turn." This is what brings Jesus joy.
The great thing in this verse is that God the Father will love us and will reveal Himself to us. In our obedience we get to know God better and He shows Himself to us. To be a Christian is never easy. It is a constant struggle. When we experience God more and more in our lives then we can't resist His love anymore and will be drawn to love Him. Through this love we want to obey, to please Him and to bring Him joy. This overcoming, this carrying on is what makes our Christianity. It is always this: "Hold on to the end". Daily we are challenged to obey or not obey. May our love for Jesus drive us and strengthen us to say "No" to sin and "Yes" to what Jesus expects of us.
Sandra Rooney Copyright 2008
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