John 14: 15

'If you love me, obey my commandments.'

The computer that you are probably currently sitting at obeys you. Of course sometimes it frustratingly doesn't, coming up with annoying error messages and the like, but on the whole, you say; it does. You click a button on your mouse; it is activated. You type a demand; it finds an answer or responds in some way. You command; it obeys. It doesn't have a choice. It is like a robot.

The human that you've currently got your eye on strives to obey You. Of course sometimes he fails, coming up with excuses for himself or perhaps feeling fearful of the outcome, but on the whole, he tries to express his love and trust to You by obeying You. You stipulate Your commandments in the book of Exodus; he always seeks to obey these. You lay down guidelines for living in the New Testament; he sometimes ignores these, and sometimes chooses to obey. But on the whole he chooses to put You first in his life, sometimes finding it difficult, but during these times, comes to You and asks You for help. He blesses You so immensely, that despite the times when he struggles to obey, his love for You makes You feel like spinning around with sheer joy.

God didn't want us to be like a computer, because that would mean we obeyed Him because we were programmed to. No, He gave us all free will, knowing full well that about 75% of us humans would freely disobey Him. But he delights in that 25% who freely choose to obey Him due to our love for Him. That's what makes Him feel special!!

Its not just that God wants us to exercise our love and trust to Him by obeying Him, but also that He wants to care for us. Romans 8:28 says that '.we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God..' (remembering that to love God is to obey Him). It's like the father who tells his young child not to go near the fireplace. It's a simple command, yet the child does not understand the dangerous implications of getting too close to the fire. She must trust that her father just wants to take care of her and just simply obey him, also knowing that by obeying him she is pleasing him and therefore showing her love.

So the message is simple; know God's commands, seek His voice and obey. Last week I went to the Christian festival, Soul Survivor. While I was there I went to a seminar on hearing God's voice, eager to find some answers. The key was to have an obedient heart. An obedient heart that is willing to obey and to love God.