God's Glory Church

“Whoever has My commandments and keeps them loves Me.” —John 14:21

During our wedding ceremony, the pastor asked me, “Do you promise to love, honor, and obey your husband until death do you part?” Looking at my fiancé, I whispered, “Obey?” We built our relationship on love and respect, not on blind obedience, as our wedding vows implied. My husband’s father videotaped the moment when I pondered the word “obey” with wide eyes and then said, “Yes.”

Over the years, God showed me that my resistance to the word “obey” had nothing to do with the incredibly complicated relationship between husband and wife. I thought it meant “forced submission”, but the Scriptures do not support such an interpretation. Навпаки, слово “слухатися” в Біблії виражає багато способів, якими ми можемо любити Бога. My husband and I are celebrating thirty years of marriage, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, we are still learning to love the Lord and each other.

When Jesus said: “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15), He showed that fulfilling the Scriptures is a consequence of our loving and close relationship with Him (vv. 16-21).

Jesus’ love is selfless and never violent or cruel. If we follow Him and honor Him in all our relationships, the Holy Spirit will help us see obedience to Him as a wise and loving act of trust and worship.

How does seeing obedience to God as an act of love and trust change your understanding of God’s call to obedience? How has God proven that you can trust Him?

Lord Jesus, please help me to love You and others through obedience to Your Word.

Author: Sosheel Dixon