Receiving the Deeper Blessings of God’s Grace
By: David McFadden
“All who love Me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and We will come and make Our home with each of them. Anyone who doesn't love Me will not obey Me.” John 14:23-24
Such is the place obedience has in Holy Scripture, in the mind of God, in the hearts of His servants. We may well ask of ourselves, “Does it take that place in my heart and life?” Have we indeed given obedience that supreme place of authority over us that God means it to have, as the inspiration of every action, and of every approach to Him?
When we consider our text, we may see that the deeper blessings of God's grace, and the full enjoyment of God's love and nearness, have been beyond our reach, simply because obedience was never made what God would have it be — the starting-point and the goal of our Christian life. If we yield ourselves to the searching of God's Spirit, we may find that we never gave it its true proportion in our scheme of life. Is it possible that this lack is the cause of all our failure in prayer and in work? We find evidence for the answer in 1 John 3:22, ‘Let us love in deed and truth; hereby we shall assure our hearts before Him. And whatsoever we ask we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.’
Obedience is the one certificate of Christian character. In 1 John 2:4, the Apostle John gives us one of strongest statements concerning obedience and how it relates to uprightness, “He who says, ‘I know Him,’ and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
Obedience is the secret of good conscience, and of the confidence that God heareth us. “This is the love of God, that we keep His Commandments.” (1 John 5:3) The obedience that keeps His commandments: this is the garment in which the hidden, invisible love reveals itself, and whereby it is known to us—the garment of Christian character.
Let us awaken an earnest desire to know God's will fully concerning this truth. Let us unite in praying that the Holy Spirit may show us how defective the Christian's life is, where obedience does not rule all; how that life can be exchanged for one of full surrender to absolute obedience; and how sure it is that God in Christ will enable us to live it out.
—Andrew Murray, adapted from School of Obedience. All rights reserved.
Taking God’s Word Back to Him
Heavenly Father, it seems that everywhere I look in Your Word, I read about how important obedience is to You as is concerns me and my life with You. Help me to see even more clearly how our relationship hinges on my desire to obey You so that I may dwell in Your love. Instill in me the desire to experience the full enjoyment of Your love and nearness by making obedience what You would have it be in my life with You—I desire to put on the garment of Christian character. LORD, I come to You now and give my full surrender to absolute obedience to Your Word, asking and knowing that in You, through Jesus, I am able to live it out. I ask this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.
Excerpted and adapted from David McFadden’s “Deeper Life Series”.
For more articles from this series go to: https://www.deeperlifeseries.com/devotional-archive
CHRISTIANS ENGAGED NEEDS YOU!
Would you consider partnering with us as a monthly donor to support the work of our nonprofit ministry? Or maybe a generous one-time donation?