Obedience Is a Choice

Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. John 14:23

READ John 14:15-24

Winters in the Netherlands seldom bring a lot of snow, but it can get cold enough to freeze over the canals. When my husband, Tom, was growing up there, his parents had a family rule: “Stay off the ice until it is thick enough to hold the weight of a horse.” Because horses would leave evidence of their presence behind, Tom and his buddies decided to get some manure off the road. They threw it on the thin ice and ventured out onto the surface. No harm came to them, nor were they discovered, but they knew in their hearts they’d been disobedient.

Obedience doesn’t always come naturally. The choice to obey or not to obey can spring from a sense of duty or fear of punishment. But we can also choose to obey out of love and respect for those in authority over us.

In John 14, Jesus challenged His disciples by saying, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. . . . Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (vv. 23-24).

It’s not always an easy choice to obey, but the power of the Spirit living within us gives us the desire and ability to obey Him (vv. 15-17). With His enablement, we can continue to follow the commands of the one who loves us most—not out of fear of punishment, but out of love.

By Cindy Hess Kasper

REFLECT & PRAY

In what ways have you been willfully disobedient? Why is it important for you to obey God even when it’s difficult or inconvenient?

Loving God, please soften my stubborn heart to listen to Your instructions. Help me to set aside my own agenda and to faithfully obey You.

For further study, read The (Impossible) Task of Following Jesus.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Four times in John 14:15-24, Jesus emphasized that obeying Him would be proof of the disciples’ love for Him (vv. 15, 21, 23, 24). They weren’t left alone to obey Christ by their own volition and human strength. God the Father would give them “another advocate to help [them]— the Spirit of truth” (vv. 16-17). The Holy Spirit would remind them of everything Jesus had taught them (v. 26) and show them what’s right and wrong (16:8-13). To love Christ is to obey Him. As we’re “led by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:18), we’ll obey Him and “keep in step with the Spirit” (v. 25).

K. T. Sim