Love and Obedience

“I didn’t know that meant so much to you.”

Have you ever had one of those moments when you’ve known someone for years and years and all of a sudden you find out something that’s critically important to them that you hadn’t realized?

Or maybe the reverse, when a loved one finally clues in to one of your deepest needs.

The first scenario happened to me, at, of all places, a Bible study.

It was at my parents’ house. My mother, myself, and two elders from a nearby church were sitting around our mahogany brown dinner table. One of the elders chose The Last Supper Discourse, John 14-17, as our topic.

Within minutes, I felt like someone had taken a study Bible and thumped it over my head.

John 14:15 (NIV) “If you love me, keep my commands.”

John 14:21 (NIV) “Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me."

John 14:23 (NIV) “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them and we will come to them and make our home in them.”

Bam. Bam. Bam.

I’d been a Christian for decades. I knew that obedience was important. I’d read The Last Supper Discourse many times. But this time it hit me.

Jesus is the son of God. God is love. And Jesus directly ties obedience to love.

These passages mark Jesus’ last crack at teaching His disciples. The cross soon awaits. And this is His message. He stresses it again and again to them and to the billions of followers to come. It means a LOT to Him.

I often think about this as I go about my daily life. Like most Christians, I’ve always tried to be obedient. But after that Bible study, I’ve better realized that I really want to be obedient out of love for Jesus.

It’s like a parent-child relationship. Parents want their children to obey them because the parents love them and know what is best for them, even if the kids don’t realize that. In the same way, God wants us to obey Him because He loves us and knows what is best for us. Sometimes we need to be reminded of this.