OBEDIENCE IS LOVE AND LOYALTY

John 14: 15-24
«And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments» 2 John 1: 6

In his book Lessons Learned Early, Jerry Jenkins tells a story about his first year in college. It was 1968, a year of tremendous political and social upheaval in the United States.

Riots had broken out in many major cities. From the roof of his student residence in Chicago, Jerry listened to the sirens and saw the fires. The students had been told to stay on the campus, but Jerry wanted to see what was happening.

As he ran to a store that was burning a few blocks away, a patrol car stopped at his side. "Do not go there," the officer warned.

Jerry waited for the vehicle to start and then kept walking. The officer returned. This time it was clearer when he repeated, "do not go there" and pointed a shotgun through the window.

Our spells of rebellion or stubbornness often lead to unhappy results. In a fit of anger, Moses hit the rock to get water instead of just talking to him, just as God had commanded him. He lost the privilege of entering the Promised Land with his people (Numbers 20: 7-12). Jonah disobeyed an order to go to Nineveh and was given three days to think about his choice-within a large fish (Jonah 1).

What does it take for us to obey Him? Will we obey simply because we love Him? (John 14: 15,21)

Obedience is another word for love and loyalty.