As those of you who follow this blog know, we have been considering things that we should do “at all times” this week. We have considered trusting the Lord, blessing the Lord, staying spiritually awake, and praying. The Bible tells us that these are things that we should do at all times, that is, they should all be a consistent and constant part of our lives. Now, there is one element that is involved in all these things—obeying God, and if we really trust Him like we should, obeying God will not be something we simply have to do, it will be something we want to do.
Psalm 119:20 (ESV)
20 My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.
David longed to keep the rules of God because he knew they were in his best interest. We, too, should realize this. God has never given us a command that will hurt us. In fact, if we follow the commands of God, it will be in our best interest, not only spiritually, but also in our daily living. We know this because we know and love God. It is revealing that the Bible teaches us that knowing God and loving God results in the same thing.
1 John 2:3 (ESV)
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
John 14:15 (ESV)
15 “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Do you know God? If you do, then you love Him. Anyone who really knows God, loves Him because he knows what a good, kind, and loving God He is. Furthermore, as both Jesus and John tell us, if we know and love God, we will be obedient Him. There is no exception to this truth. I’m not saying that the person who knows and loves God will never sin. We all sin from time to time (1 John 1:8-10); however, one thing we will not do if we know and love God is live a sinful life. Our desire will be to please Him and that will naturally lead to obeying Him.
Obeying God sporadically will not do. Such does not reveal a true love for our Creator. There are too many who think they can follow God on their own terms, keeping His commandments only when it is convenient for them to do so. We only prove our love when we obey Him at all times. When Noah was commanded to build the ark, (something that would require hard work and concerted effort) the Bible tells us that he moved with reverent fear (Hebrews 11:7; Genesis 6:22). Moses tells us that Noah “did all that God commanded him.” When we know and love God, we obey Him no matter what the cost may be. It does not matter how hard the command is or whether we like it or not.
Abraham is another great example of someone obeying God when it was not an easy thing to do. The command he received was as hard as any commandment ever given. God commanded him to sacrifice His son (Genesis 22:1-2). How did Abraham respond to such a command? The very next verse tells us that he rose up early in the morning to go to the place where he would sacrifice Isaac. Why was Abraham so willing to obey God no matter what? It was because he had faith, love, and reverent fear for Him. When you have those qualities, you do not obey God only when it is convenient, or you happen to like the commandment. Instead, you will obey Him at all times, proving that you, not only love Him, but you trust Him and long to follow His rules.
As you wind down for the night, think on these things.