The Best Commands
In John 14:15 (NIV), Jesus said, “If you love me, keep my commands.” He was speaking to his disciples just hours before his death on the cross. In the next chapter, Jesus says in John 15:17 (NIV), “This is my command: Love each other.”
We might recoil from the idea of needing to follow God’s commands. Didn’t the New Testament and the New Covenant take away all those rules? I thought we were under grace? Why is Jesus telling us that the measure of our love for him will be expressed in obedience to his commands?
Yes, we are commanded to abide in God’s love and commanded to love one another, but what if this command was more than a strict rule to adhere to? What if God’s commands were nothing more than a revelation of how to live in true freedom? What if God knows the truth so clearly that the best way to communicate an unchangeable principle is through a command?
GOD’S COMMANDS ARE A GIFT
It is easy to see commands as instructions that keep us from the things we need, but in Christ, all his commands keep us in the best things. That is why David says in Psalms 37:4 (NIV), “Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
I have learned that I cut my growth short when asking God to give me my desires before I choose to delight in him. I put God in a box when I determine my relationship with God based on commands I like or dislike. I stray from the truth.
It will take time to learn to trust God in his commands, but he is patient with us. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard God leading me in a direction and seriously doubted it would be worth the cost only to see on the other side that he led me to the exact place my heart desires. When we see his commands in this way, it becomes a joy to obey!
LEARNING GOD’S HEART
Finally, it is understandable that we might not be ready to follow every one of the commands we discover in the word of God. We might not be ready to hear his voice and respond. That is okay.
Part of abiding daily is learning to follow his voice. It is about putting connecting with God and openness with God over rituals and blind faith. Today's prompt is not about identifying which commands we need to get in line with. It is about realizing that God's commands are based on love, aligning us with our desires, and bringing us into truth.
God is patient with us as we learn, but I want you to take the risk of pressing into his heart today.
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