Obedience… drudgery or delight, part 2

The reason obedience feels like drudgery or hard work for many professing Christians is there is no "want to" in their actions. It's a "have to." It's performance-oriented. It's *"do it or else..."  

We don't have complete confidence and trust in God's love for us to follow his directions with delight yet. This comes over time as we get a fuller/clearer view of Christ and all He did for us. But also after seeing and experiencing God's love in various difficult circumstances. As our trust grows, so does increased willingness in our obedience.  

In 1Jn 5:2,3 we are told "...By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments.  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome."

When love is driving our actions, the doing/acting isn't a burden, drudgery, or hard work. We "do" because we want to out of love. It is the oil, if you will, that lubricates all our actions. It keeps things from wearing down, heating, and tearing up. 

When I used to surf, it was always a strenuous workout. I would usually be out for 2 or 3 hours per session. When I was done I was hungry, exhausted, and probably 2 or 3 pounds lighter. But I LOVED it! Did I exert myself? Big time! Was it work? Well in a sense. I definitely exerted a great deal of energy and effort, but it didn't feel like "work" because it was something I loved to do. **It was fun.

The following passage captures the essence of this: 

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose. - Phil 2:12-13

When God's love gets a hold of us, it creates the "want" to pursue him. If there is no "want to" we need to take a hard look at how much we understand and believe God loves us. 

The solution? Ask God to help you see more clearly what Christ did for you and why he did it. 

Sometimes, the only way we experience God's love is to step out in faith in God's character - regardless of how we feel and love others. This is the essence of obedience to his greatest commandment to love him with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves. 

His character/love/wisdom has already been demonstrated to us by giving us Christ. This alone is enough when we really see it and believe it. To step out in faith releases our experience of his love (Not his actual love which is already secured for us in Christ) to us and through us.

He who is forgiven much loves much.

And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "Say it, Teacher."  

"A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.  When they could not pay, he canceled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" 

Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he canceled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly."

...Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven--for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." - Jesus Christ - Luk 7:40-43;47 

The truth is we are all forgiven much once we are in Christ. Our problem is we don't have a full understanding of the greatness of our offense, how desperately we need God's forgiveness, how totally impossible it is for us to be righteous enough to be accepted by God, and what lengths God went to provide it. This is at the heart of our maturing and where growth lies; in seeing the infinite extent of his forgiveness and great love for us and the extent of our absolute need for it.

For further discussion, click here. 

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*or else you will be condemned, rejected, make God mad, etc. 

**obedience isn't always fun (often it is not) but we know the outcome of it will be "fun" later if not now. This is our hope. And this hope empowers us and makes it fun (rewarding beyond comprehension) in a real and vital way. It is living through dying; it is finding our life (truly and later) by losing it (now). 

#Wantto #haveto #Drudgery #thotsaboutGod #thoughtsaboutGod