Genuinely Want To Obey God
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God loves you mind-boggingly more than you could possibly love yourself. Because true, godly love is utterly selfless, your best interest is God’s top priority. The infinite knowledge and wisdom of God make the smartest human decisions look like the guesses of a moron. If you combine all these facts and ponder their implications, it becomes clear that God’s will is the wisest thing you could ever do. Now combine this with Scripture’s famous truth: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Psalms 111:10; Proverbs 9:10 – Job 28:28; Proverbs 1:7; 15:33 are similar).
To fear God is to literally fear the consequences of disobeying the One who is Wisdom. Ideally, we should be so in love with God that fear doesn’t factor because God’s happiness means so much to us that we would rather die than sadden him. If we truly loved, to know we had disappointed the Lord would devastate us so much that something terrifying could not make us feel any worse. Nevertheless, there is genuine reason to fear disregarding the directions of the God of all love and wisdom.
In our relationship with God we are like electricians working on 100,000 volt transformers. We are perfectly safe, provided we act wisely. If you don’t realize the danger for Christian and non-Christian alike, you know little about the God of the New Testament and I suggest when you reach the end of this page you explore a link there about the fear of God.
Psalms 25:14 The LORD confides in those who fear him . . .
The Lord shares his secrets with those who would sooner tongue kiss rattlesnakes than disobey him.
John 7:17 If anyone chooses to do God’s will, he will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.
Jesus is saying that to receive the divine revelation as to whether it is just a man spouting his own thoughts or God speaking, the critical factor is one’s willingness to obey God. An openness to God’s will – resolving to obey him no matter how unexpected and what the cost – unlocks our mind to let God in to give us the revelation we desperately need.
Note how the psalmist linked receiving divine revelation with a commitment to obey God.
Psalm 119:34 Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.
Psalm 119:145 I call with all my heart; answer me, O LORD, and I will obey your decrees.
It is tempting to seek God, not because we want to obey him but because we are hoping to hear him say, “Yes, you can have what you want,” and if he says anything else we’ll ignore it. Such an attitude does not inspire the Almighty to speak to us. If we are not going to obey, the Lord telling us his will is not just God wasting his time, it increases our accountability and the severity of our judgement.
To paraphrase Jesus, if you seek first the kingdom of God all other necessities will be provided (Matthew 6:33). Although Jesus said this in relation to our physical needs, the principle surely applies equally to spiritual needs. If we put God’s glory foremost in our motives, he’ll give us the guidance we need.