Obedience and Faith

October 26, 2023

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.” John 14:21 NLT

If you have any question about how vital the connection is between faith and obedience, just do a Google search of “faith and obedience Scriptures.” You will be flooded with references. In fact, if you picked one reference per day to study, you would be well into the new year before you finished. We often fool ourselves into thinking we can choose disobedience and not impact our faith. We may not even call it disobeying. We may just call it delaying or neglecting. But NOT obeying is DISOBEYING, whatever we name it.

Obedience is a key component of faith. When we trust in Jesus' authority and follow His instructions, we position ourselves to experience the growth that comes from relying on His strength and guidance. It’s a cycle of blessing and growth. When we follow the clear and simple instructions that Jesus has given for all of us, we are walking in faith. We learn to know His voice more and more. We then recognize His voice in the directions our spirits receive, and we get clarity on specific decisions and areas of obedience in our own personal lives. These directions always lead to good choices, self-respect, better relationships, and deep intimacy with Jesus.

Jesus remains our greatest example. Though He was God Himself, He was totally obedient to His Father, not from fear, but from a deep relationship and utter faith. He told His disciples He only did what He did in obedience to His Father. In the Garden of Gethsemane, He made the sacrifice that was as significant as His sacrifice on the cross—He agreed in obedience to do what His Father said was necessary, even though it would mean separation from His Father, something Jesus had never experienced in all of endless eternity past.

If Jesus found obedience to be central to His relationship with His Father, how can we think any less is necessary for our own faith? Every one of us has had that person in our lives—maybe a friend, a child, a spouse, a parent—who professes great love for us but gives little indication ever that what is important to us matters. It’s hard to believe you are loved when the person you love and says they love you in return ignores your desires and even direct requests. We hate giving direct orders because commands are not usually the reason a person complies in a true love relationship. Alienation results.

Love, obedience, and faith are all connected. There is no growing faith when one is missing.

• Jesus, does my obedience give proof of my faith and love? I choose to quickly obey You, knowing our relationship will be closer and deeper as I do.