Obedience Invites the Infinite God to Show Up in Your Life
"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him." John 14:21 (KJV)
Have you ever been in a place where you believed that you had not seen God move in your life recently? Is it possible the reason you believed that to be true is due to your preoccupation with the problems you experienced including relational, financial, professional, social and physical issues? Sometimes the experience of failure and unfulfilled expectations causes us to cry out: “God, where are you?”
Too often, when we feel like God is absent, we feel that we must do something. We think that we must create a to-do list in order to see God work in our lives. We even ask or invite a fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit! Instead, I exhort you to invite some fresh obedience! When you seek to obey the Lord, you will see God manifest His glory in your life. Your obedience reveals to God, and others, that you truly love Him with your heart and not just with your lips!
What usually interferes with our intimacy with God and obscures our biblical view of God is our disobedience! Conversely, obedience intensifies our intimacy and places God in plain view. To experience God in real time, we must meet His expectation of obedience. Consider the following scriptures that emphasize the importance of obedience.
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John14:15 (KJV)
“Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.’” John 14:23 (KJV)
“He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings:” John 14:24a (KJV)
“If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love.” John15:10 (KJV)
“By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.” 1 John 5:2-3 (KJV)
“And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, that, as ye have heard from the beginning, ye should walk in it.” 2 John 6 (KJV)
Notice when we obey the Lord, we show Him love and in turn, He shows up!
A review of scripture also provides us with a plethora of people that promoted obedience in their lives. In some instances, under the most uncomfortable, difficult and even life-threatening situations, many in scripture showed their obedience and God showed up and showed off! Consider these examples:
Abraham's obedience placed him in the position to be the father of many nations! (Genesis 12)
A widow’s obedience invited the glory of God to show up in her life! (2 Kings 4:1-7)
A reluctant captain in the Syrian Army obeyed and the God of the Bible blessed His diseased body. (2 Kings 5)
Three Jewish men defied the orders of a powerful potentate and because of their obedience God preserved their lives in a glorious way! (Daniel 3:12-27)
Our Lord Jesus’ obedience caused God to exalt Him and give Him a name that exceeds all names that ever were and will ever be! (Philippians 2:8-9)
Our obedience to the Gospel liberated us from our sins and gave us the glorious gift of eternal life while also delivering us from the vengeance and wrath of God! (Romans 6:17 & I Thessalonians 1:8-9)
Let’s show God that we love Him by obeying Him in every aspect in our lives, in all circumstances. As a result, He will reveal Himself to you in real time and in real power!
For the Glory of God,
PBKSR