The most important command

As I think about my last blog and why we obey, it occurs to me that the answer I gave is incomplete. 

Certainly one reason we obey God is because he does desire our best, and if we do, we’ll find his blessing in our lives.

But there’s another reason that underlies even that.  And it’s found in what Jesus called the greatest command.

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

Why is this the most important command?  Because if we love him, won’t we desire to do the things he asks of us?

When a couple are in love, it is not burdensome to do things that please the other person.  Instead, it is a delight as we see our lover’s response to our actions. 

Whether it’s us giving them flowers or gifts,  whether it’s cooking dinner for them or cleaning the house for them, when love is the motivating factor behind our actions, we naturally desire to do what pleases them.

And it’s the same with our relationship with God.  If we truly love God, we will want to do the things that please him.

On the other hand, we’ll want to avoid doing the things that hurt him.

There have been times in my life where I have done things that have hurt people that I love and care about.  I didn’t mean to, but I did. 

And when I realized what I had done, I loved them so much I was willing to change so that I wouldn’t hurt them again.

When we sin, we hurt God.  And so when the person who really loves God realizes this, they do everything they can to avoid doing it again. 

This is not to say we’ll never fail or sin again.  We do. 

But it leaves no room for saying, “Well, God’ll forgive me so I’ll just indulge in this sin again.”

It would be like saying, “Well, my wife will forgive me, so I’ll just have this affair on the side.” 

If we truly love our wife, we’d never indulge in adultery.  And if we truly love God, we’d never indulge in any sin that would cause him pain.

So why do we obey? 

First and foremost, it should be out of our love for him. 

Jesus said,

Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.  (John 14:21)