God Requires Your Obedience
The only way our love for God can be measured is through the way we love others, and our obedience to God. If we really want to show God how much we love Him, it doesn't come from how many hours we pray or how often we go to church. The true test of our love for God is whether we obey Him or not. In John 14:15 Jesus says, "If you love me, you will obey what I command? God requires obedience from us as a way to show Him how much we love Him. We cannot say we love him and not obey Him. Think about all of the people you know or have met that have said they love God and they are living for God but disobey God's commands. They will not forgive others. They will not give their tithe (10%) to God. They will not stop fighting. If these people say they love God, why won't these people obey God? The reason is simple. Most people don't view obedience as a requirement. Most people think loving God is based on "mushy" feelings. It's not enough to have mushy feelings for God. If you really love Him, you will obey Him. God requires our obedience!
In our bible lesson today we saw that Saul only partially obeyed God, But God wants our full obedience!
Maybe you're asking yourself, "Why should I obey God?" It's definitely not easy to obey God when it doesn't make sense. It's not easy to obey God when I'm not rewarded. It's definitely not easy to obey God when I'm the only one and no one else is obeying Him. So why should I obey God? I want you to be like the Israelites in the memory verse. They said, "For if we obey him, everything will turn out well for us." (Jeremiah 42: 6) The reason why God wants you to obey Him is that He wants to bless you. How many of you want the blessings God has for you? Or what about the plans he has for you? The only way you are going to get God's blessings and the plans He has for your life is if you obey God every step of your life. God requires obedience from you because He wants everything to turn out well for you.
God requires our obedience even when:
1. It doesn't make sense
2. They're not rewarded
3. No one else obeys.
Being a Christian comes down to this; You must obey God! It's not optional. It is a requirement. God only wants what is absolutely best for you! God requires our obedience!
Our Memory Verse this week is:
“For if we obey Him, everything will turn out well for us.”
Jeremiah 42:6