Obedience...

John 14:15
"If you love me, you will obey what I command.

Jeremiah 7:23
but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you

Joel 2:11
The LORD thunders at the head of his army; his forces are beyond number, and mighty are those who obey his command. The day of the LORD is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?

Luke 11:28
He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it."

1 John 2:5
But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him:

2 John 1:6
And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

Deuteronomy 28:1
If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

John 14:24
He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.

Leviticus 18:4-5
You must obey my laws and be careful to follow my decrees. I am the LORD your God. Keep my decrees and laws, for the man who obeys them will live by them. I am the LORD

Deuteronomy 13:18
It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him

John 15:10
If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.

Proverbs 19:16
He who obeys instructions guards his life, but he who is contemptuous of his ways will die

1 John 5:3
This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome

The evidence is staggering...the stock God puts in obedience can be frightening when it's something that you're struggling with. It has been a message that has been thrown at me from every direction over the course of the past 2 weeks. I am not so naive to believe that this is coincidence. It is frustrating b/c in theory it shouldn't be so difficult - the knowledge of our salvation and the joy the accompanies that should be enough to drive obedience from anyone, and yet it is something that many battle - the obedience to the spirit rather than the flesh. Obedience...such a simple word, and yet, such a great action, with many great benefits. For anyone seeking intimacy, a connection with God, an encounter...pick something you struggle with - practice obedience in that specific area and I promise you...you will see God moving. He will fall over you like a mighty rain and you will be touched by a glory and grace you have not known before. He is always pleased by our choice to serve Him over ourselves...

May today be a day of service to the Lord, a day full of obedience and renewed reverence of the Mighty God who has created the very life we live. May today be a day of reflection on what we were created to be and who we were created to serve...may today be lived as it was meant to be...as the day the Lord made for us, so carefully and thoughtfully designed with every moment carefully planned in love for each of us individually. May we all live today thankfully and joyfully in the name of the Lord.