Bible Passage: Matthew 22:36-38
“Teacher,” he asked, “which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
Jesus answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind’. This is the first and greatest commandment.
The dictionary defines love as “an intense feeling of deep affection”. This definition often aligns with the portrayal of love in movies and fairytales. So, when I pondered on how to express my love for God, I believed I could only demonstrate it through deep affection: passionate praise and worship, regular church attendance, and consistent Bible reading. I used to think these actions were the primary ways to demonstrate my love for God. While these practices were indeed good, I overlooked the most crucial and arguably the most important aspect—obedience.
In John 14:15-24, Jesus emphasises that those who truly love Him obey His commands. In God’s eyes, love is not merely a fleeting feeling or series of religious rituals that make you appear devout. Rather, love is an active commitment to obey His commandments and instructions.
One profound realisation I had was that it’s possible to engage in all the religious activities like worship, church attendance, and Bible reading while still walking in disobedience or partial disobedience, which, in God’s eyes, are equivalent. You can practice all the godly customs in the Bible and remain untransformed and stagnant in your relationship with God. Two primary reasons for this are a lack of faith and disobedience. You can’t genuinely believe or trust what you don’t obey, so these factors intertwine.
For the Word of God to genuinely transform our lives, we must obey it with the Holy Spirit’s help. In the parable of the sower in Luke 8 and Matthew 13, Jesus describes various types of people who hear the Word of God and the most fruitful ones are those who not only hear but also keep it. This obedience leads to the abundant manifestation of qualities like love, joy, patience and peace, as mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23. Therefore, our godly efforts are in vain without obedience and will yield no lasting results.
By obeying God’s commands, we not only demonstrate our love for Him but also exhibit trust in His promise that His plans for us are for good, to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). If you need further encouragement, consider the lives of those who obeyed God in the Bible, such as Abraham, and see how God blessed them. Conversely, reflect on the lives of those who disobeyed God, like Saul, and observe the negative impact on their lives.
So, I urge you to make it your primary life goal to strive to obey God’s instructions daily. In doing so, you will experience a transformative and fulfilling life, rich with blessings from loving and obeying the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind.
For more on obedience check out this post.
