Obedience and follow through are two important things that Father God expects from His children. It was how Jesus explained to His disciples what it meant to love Him. John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commands.” It is simple and direct but why do we struggle with it so often? Leaning on our own understanding causes us to reason things through. We want to be obedient but we want to do it OUR way!

We take Jesus’ commands and try to twist them to fit what we want. Our lifestyles, our likes and dislikes and what we want the truth to be. Commands that we feel comfortable doing in our own time. But that is not what Jesus commanded. Proving that you love Jesus by keeping His commands is the only correct way to prove that you love Him!

This analogy will explain it better.   As a boy when your Dad told you to mow the lawn you mowed it. It wasn’t a request but a command. It wasn’t open for debate, discussion or something to be ignored. Putting it off was almost as dangerous as not doing it at all. You were to honor your Dad’s command by doing what you were told. Your Dad tells you to “go mow the lawn” as he and your Mom leave to run errands.

You are all alone at home and have been told to mow the lawn. “Did he want me to mow the front and back yards or just the front? Am I supposed to do just the front since it is what everyone sees when they drive by the house? He doesn’t want me to do just the back yard and leave the front yard go. The back yard is a mess. It’ll take me forever to mow it. I’ll have to pick up all of the stuff, the dog bones, my toys and balls along with all the garden supplies and the hose just to start. The grass is overgrown in spots and that will have to be mowed twice just to get it all. I think that I’ll just stick with doing the front, since it is what all the people see as they drive by.”

Mowing the front lawn and not the back is doing the task wrong. It is an incomplete job that lacks follow-through. And it all started by you taking the command and reasoning it out in your own understanding. When Dad gets home and yells at you for only mowing the front yard, you blame him for not being home to ask what he meant. According to you it’s all your Dad’s fault. We treat God’s commands the same way. You take it and change it to suit what you think the command should mean. Then you do it when the time suits your needs your way. When you finish you expect God to be pleased with what you accomplished.

Showing God’s love through your obedience has to be fulfilled on God’s terms not yours. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t make any sense to you. It doesn’t matter if you fully understand why. It doesn’t matter if you think the person you are to bless deserves it or not. It doesn’t matter if you think you can do it. All that matters is that you obey His commands.

Live your daily life as God’s Word instructs by keeping His commands and being a Christian example. Read His word to learn His will, listen to His voice and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then as the Holy Spirit leads you obey and follow through with the task set before you. It requires that you put your faith into action as you trust God to give you the grace and ability to complete any task He has for you. Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” You can’t pray for God to use you then make it conditional obedience. God is a sovereign God who does as He pleases and we are here to please God! So go mow the lawn!