“If you really believe — I mean truly believe you were created by God and saved by His Son and the Spirit of the living God is in you–why would you not want to spend the balance of your life fully devoted to Him?” {p. 185 “The 10-Second Rule“}
Our obedience to God is not a condition of His love for us or a means of getting what we want from God. It is not some magic formula to receive the blessings of God. We are obedient out of our love for Him and what He has already done for us–dying on the cross to save us from our sins and giving us eternal life.
[Read Luke 24]
Luke 24:51-53 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up to heaven. So they worshipped him and then returned to Jerusalem filled with great joy. And they spent all of their time in the Temple, praising God.
God may not reward us here on earth for the good deeds that we do. That’s hard for some to understand. If you are obeying God because you think by doing so He will give you something in return, you are doing it for the wrong reason. God does bless us, but not because of anything we do.
Father God,
Too often we fall into the bargaining or bartering trap. We want something only You can provide so we barter. We tell You that we will do this good deed or give that offering if You will only give us what we want. I don’t want that kind of relationship with You. I want Your unconditional love offered because I am Your child not because of what I do. Help me see beyond the trappings of this world. Amen.
Embracing God's Word 