Our God is full of mercy and grace.

This can be wonderfully overwhelming when we pause to think about it!

When we don’t dwell on it, we might subconsciously allow it to be an excuse to serve our own desires.

Whatever holds our attention and shapes our choices can reveal what we serve.

How, then, do we learn to serve our merciful and gracious God, who is also holy and jealous for our worship? As expected from a master to his servant, God calls us to obedience.

At each stage of life there’s a lot of obeying that has to be done. Employers need employees to follow their ways of doing things (obey), ideally out of respect and in agreeance. Teachers need students to abide by the rules in the syllabus (obey), ideally out of respect and humility. Parents need children to follow the family rules (obey), ideally out of respect and love. God needs his people to do his will (obey), and he wants us to do so with a heart of love, gratitude, and respect. He wants us to willingly yield to him, in other words to submit to him. He did not create robots to just do as he says.

And, he didn’t extend mercy and grace for us to just do as we please. The apostle Paul wrote bluntly, “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace might increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2 NIV).

As we sincerely grow in our knowledge of God, we can’t help but also grow our love, gratitude, and respect for him. As we read about God, we learn his character and see how he acts according to it. In the Old Testament, God (himself and through the prophets) speaks much of obeying his directives, including doing so out of love. In the New Testament, Jesus speaks of obeying God as the way to show one’s love for him. It is the mark of a believer. Jesus says, “’If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him’”(John 14:23 ESV).

As always, our loving God equips us for what he calls us to do. As the Holy Spirit works in us, and because of his work in us, we develop the godly traits and good works that are evidence of a life surrendered to Christ.

Obedience comes through faith for God’s glory (Romans 1:5). So let’s exercise our faith!

Try using a Heart Training book to exercise your faith each day!