Psalm 19:7-14
7 The law of the Lord is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.
Matthew 22:34-40
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
I had a discussion recently with some high school students about what it means to obey God's Word. It got me thinking about how COOL it is that the Creator of the Universe gave us a manual to navigate through it.
In a society where truth is relative and self is king, obedience can be regarded as a dirty word. The idea of being ruled by anything other than self can be repulsive.
But how would the world look if children never obeyed parents? If drivers never obeyed traffic laws?
While parents and governments can be broken and sometimes even cause damage, we can be confident that God’s Kingship is perfect and powered by love.
We don’t obey Him to earn His love. God IS love and has already given that to us freely through His Son Jesus. We obey as a response to His love.
All of God's laws can be summed up in loving Him and loving others (Matthew 22:34-40). As we do that, we become more like Jesus. We become more like love.
AND, as believers in Christ, how cool is it that on the other side of eternity, not ONLY is our slate wiped clean, free of charge as a gift from Jesus, BUT God will also reward us for the way we loved Him and loved others (Matthew 6:4, 6, 18).
Very cool.
Jesus, help us to treasure Your Word and Your Kingship! Let us joyfully obey You by loving You and loving others. “You are the only King forever!”
LYRICS
Only King Forever
By Elevation Worship
Written by Wade Joye, Mack Brock, Chris Brown, Steven Furtick
Verse 1:
Our God, a firm foundation
Our rock, the only solid ground
As nations rise and fall
Kingdoms once strong now shaken
But we trust forever in Your name
The name of Jesus
We trust the name of Jesus
Chorus:
You are the only King forever
Almighty God we lift You higher
You are the only King forever
Forevermore, You are victorious
(x2)
Verse 2:
Unmatched in all Your wisdom
In love and justice You will reign
And every knee will bow
We bring our expectations
Our hope is anchored in Your name
The name of Jesus
Oh-oh, we trust the name of Jesus
Chorus
Bridge:
We lift our banner high
We lift the name of Jesus
From age to age You reign
Your kingdom has no end
(x2)
Chorus (x2)