Romancing The Rock

If you love me, keep my commands.” [John 14:15]

Sometimes we read the Old Testament Ten Commandments and see them as a list of rules, a set of dos and dont’s which are rigid and cold as the stone they were originally written on. And around them is all the Levitical law – how many lambs must be sacrificed for a certain type of offering, or what should be done for a certain type of offense. When I read all of that it seemed like such a burden the ancient Jews had to carry. And to a certain extent, I think that kind of ritualistic obedience is.

When Jesus came, He fulfilled the law and gave us grace to live by, taking the burden out of obedience. But it now hinges on something quite different: relationship. Notice the word “if”. Obedience is not forced on us – we are not required on pain of death to obey every jot and tittle because we are saved by grace. BUT, if we love the Lord, we will obey Him with everything we have.

Obedience naturally flows out of love. Think about it. When you love and respect someone deeply, the last thing you want to do is hurt them, so you follow their advice, take up their suggestions, do what they ask. It is all on us. Do we love the Lord enough to do His will? If not, perhaps it means we love something or someone else more – that someone is most often our own selves.

I encourage you today, to build up your relationship with the Lord through His word, prayer and worship, and as you love Him more, you will find it easier to obey His word. Something to think about.