We learn obedience throughout our
lives. Beginning when we are very young, those responsible for our care set
forth guidelines and rules to ensure our safety. Life would be simpler for all
of us if we would obey such rules completely. Many of us, however, learn
through experience the wisdom of being obedient. There are rules and laws to
help ensure our physical safety.
The
Lord has provided us with guidelines and commandments to help ensure our spiritual
safety so that we might successfully navigate this often-treacherous mortal
existence so that we can return eventually to our Heavenly Father.
He’s not taking things away from us to be mean or giving us
a long list of impossible rules to follow. He’s teaching us what things are
going to benefit us and what aren't because He wants us to live the very best
life we can. He doesn't want us to be upset, bitter, hurt, resentful, and lost,
which often come as a result of disobedience. He wants us to have
righteousness, peace, love and joy. Just like a parent with a child, God is
saying to each of us, “Why don’t you just do what I tell you to do? I’m telling
you this for your own good.”
The truth is, whatever God asks us to do, it’s for
our own benefit, so we need to take it seriously and submit to His direction and
His will. The more we do this, the happier and more at peace we will be.
John 14:15 says, If ye love me, keep my commandments. Notice that Jesus didn't say, “If you keep my commandments, I’ll love you.” He already loves us perfectly, and He could never love us more than He already does at this very moment.
Okay..I’m not saying we can buy more of God’s love through our obedience, but our love for Him will grow as we live in obedience to Him and as we experience His faithfulness. The more I grow spiritually and love God more, the more I want to obey Him. I love Him for everything that He is because He’s beautiful, amazing and faithful to all of His promises.
Lets think of the soul-stirring act of obedience of
Abraham and Isaac. How painfully difficult it must have been for Abraham, in
obedience to God’s command, to take his beloved Isaac into the land of Moriah
to offer him as a sacrifice. I can't imagine the heaviness of Abraham’s heart as
he journeyed to that place? I would imagine that anguish must have racked his body
and tortured his mind as he bound Isaac, laid him on the altar, and took the
knife to slay him. With unwavering faith and implicit trust in the Lord, he
responded to the Lord’s command. How amazing was the pronouncement: “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do
thou anything unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast
not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.”
Abraham had been tried and tested, and for his faithfulness
and obedience the Lord gave him this glorious promise: “In thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.”
Although we are not asked to prove our obedience in such a
dramatic and heart-wrenching way, obedience is still required of us as well.
It is my prayer, that no matter how many
things you need to work on, give them to God one by one and let Him do the work
in you.
As you step out and
become more determined to obey Him, He will help you do what needs to be done.
Not only will you experience more peace and joy, but your
love for God will grow and grow.
//KIMBERLY//
Labels: Abraham, Faith, faithfulness, happiness, Heavenly Father, Isaac, joy, obedience, obey my commandments, peace
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