“If you love me, you will obey what I command.”
JOHN 14:15 (NIV)
The word “obey” has a negative connotation today. We view obedience as a forced, unwilling decision to do something we don’t want to do because we’re afraid of punishment. But that’s not the kind of obedience God wants from us.
Obedience is not about being afraid of God, but about being in a loving relationship ‘With God. As Jesus said in .John 14:15: ‘1/ you love me, you will obey what I command. n Obedience comes from knowing that God loves you and loving him in return.
Out of love comes trust. If you know God loves you and you love him, then you will trust what God is saying to you.
Then trust ·will lead to action. This is the essence ofliving by faith: We believe God loves us and we love him back, we trust what he tells us, and that leads us to live the way God wants us to live.
Love without action is just mere talk, an<l action without love is just
rote religion.
Think about the story of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. He wasn’t convinced that Mary was telling the h1.1th about how she became pregnant, but an angel told Joseph to believe her. The baby would be the Savior of his people.
Joseph accepted the truth because of his relationship with God. He knew God loved him, and he loved God. He trusted God and made the choice to do what God asked him to do, even though he didn’t understand what was happening. And that choice changed everything.
Think about this: In an instant, Joseph’s whole ,vorld was turned upside down. Because he loved God, trusted God, and obeyed God, Joseph stepped into the destiny that God had planned for him.
Faith= Love+ Trust+ Action. Do you love God? Do you trust him? Then take action and do what he tells you to do.
