SEP 26

1 John 2:3-5
Memorise John 14:15
“If ye love me, keep my commandments”

We have almost come to the close of the study of the 10 commandments. It has truly been a most enlightening journey, as we discovered one by one what each commandment means, and how we ought to obey them. As we considered each one of them, did you stop to ask God to search your heart to see if there were any areas in your life that you were lacking in. In fact, after studying through all these things in the past 3 months, do you now have a greater understanding and desire to obey God and keep His commandments?

This is the simple test that we can and should apply to ourselves. As we studied each commandment, did we find a yearning and longing to obey God better and fulfil His commands? If we truly love God, we should! After all that is what Jesus told us in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments”. This is indeed the mark of any true believer – he will love God and desire to obey Him.

Our obedience to God’s Word must never be motivated by a fear of punishment from an angry God. No, He is our loving father who desires obedience from us because He knows that that is the best for us. As we are told in 1 John 2:3-5, “Hereby we do know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He that saith, I know Him, and keepeth not His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth His word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in Him”. If we really know God, in that we have a relationship with Him and know Him intimately, then we would naturally want to obey Him out of a reverential fear, and godly love.

This is the question that we must all ask ourselves: Do I love God? And if I do, why am I not keeping His commandments? May we all pray and ask that God would teach us to love Him more and more each day, and that the Holy Spirit will examine our hearts, convict us of sin, guide us to repent and motivate us to obey Him better.

Thought: I truly love God, because He first loved me, and I really want to obey His commandments!
Prayer: Lord, may you teach me to love you more and more each day, and may the Holy Spirit examine my heart, convict me of my sin, guide me to repent and motivate me to obey You better.