Obedience according to the Bible

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments." John 14:15

 

In the middle of all the hustle and bustle of this Christmas period, let us stop for a moment to think about the first Christmas. Have you ever tried to put yourself in Joseph's place ? Her fiancee had just told her that she was pregnant, claiming that an angel had visited her and that the baby was God's. And she hoped to make him believe that !

In the space of a moment, all Joseph's existence was upset. It was not thus that he had envisaged his future. All this made no sense.
Acts without love are only dead religion - and love without deeds is nothing but vain words.

Do you know this feeling ? Your financial situation has suddenly deteriorated, the threat of layoffs hangs at your job or you have just learned the illness of one of your loved ones. How are you going to handle that ? What do you do when you are overwhelmed by events ?

Joseph chose to do what God told him, and this attitude changed everything. Joseph decided to obey God even though he did not understand what was going on.

Today, the word "obey" has a negative connotation. To obey is to yield unwillingly to something imposed on you, for fear of punishment.

But this is not the kind of obedience the Bible talks about. Obedience in the Bible means this : love + trust + action.

It begins with love, as Jesus said in John 14:15 : "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." Obedience stems from the certainty that God loves you and that you love him in return.

Many bring obedience closer to fear, but God wants us to regard it as a love relationship. And love engenders trust. If you trust what God tells you and you believe that he loves you, the acts will follow.

The three elements are necessary, because acts without love are only dead religion - and love without deeds is nothing but vain words.

Through his relationship with God, Joseph was able to accept what Mary and the angel told her. He knew that God loved him and loved God. He trusted God and chose to do what he asked of him. And because of that, his life is still an example for us right now.

A question for today

Is your relationship with God based on love or fear ? How would you describe your level of trust in God ?

Rick Warren

Source (The Thought of the Day)