Obedience

Thoughts from the sermon this morning at church:

John 10:17-18

“The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father."

God commanded Jesus to die on the cross. I have never quite connected those dots. I have heard Philippians 2:8 before—“Christ became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”—but it was today that I recognized that Christ was obedient to death because God had given him a command to die.

Questions for reflection:

What has God command me to do?

Do I obey these commands or do I take them lightly?

Another thing I have been pondering is this phrase: “The reason my Father loves me is that [I obey him]. A brother once shared with me, “obedience is God’s love language.” 1 John 5:3 says this: “This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.”

Not only was Christ’s love for God evident through his obedience, God’s love for Christ was made possible through his obedience.

Again, these questions arise:

What has God command me to do?

Do I obey these commands or do I take them lightly?

More often than not I do not take obedience serious enough.