Two opposing powers grapple in every human heart and our decisions are usually influenced by them, either to do good or to do evil. The spirit of truth will always persuade us to obey God. Obedience is not the requirement of a whimsical God who wants us to perform for His amusement. God wants us to discover that there are principles and precepts that produce pleasure in a planned but impersonal existence. We can, therefore, trust our obedience to authenticate our faith when knowledge and experience are lacking.
C. S. Lewis wrote, “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of- throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.” (Mere Christianity [New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., Macmillan
Paperbacks Edition, 1960], p. 174.)
Our life on earth is about learning. It is about enlarging our experience and employing our faith. We are here to improve our perception of life’s purpose and the magnificence of its possibilities; to savor the expectation of the promises of glory that await the faithful beyond this life and beyond all current comprehension; and to fully
recognize that God lives and that He loves us.
Even Jesus, the greatest of all, learned obedience though suffering. (Hebrews 5:8). His hardship and affliction were part of his learning. Like Jesus, we are also here to learn obedience. We don’t need to wander unfamiliar paths in search of truth. God has laid out the way and furnished us with the unfailing map of His law.
True happiness in this life and progress toward the glories beyond is achieved as we learn to be humble and to discard the constraints of disobedience to God’s law. Isaiah invites us, “Come now, and let us reason together…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." (Isaiah 1:18-19).
We all want happiness. We hope for it, live for it, and make it our primary goal in life. But do we live in a way that allows us to enjoy the happiness we desire so deeply?
The way to be happy is simply to believe in Jesus Christ and obey the gospel. When we obey God’s law, then we can expect to find the happiness we desire. If we don’t obey, we cannot enjoy the total happiness found in the gospel. To profess a belief in Christ and yet not enjoy the comfort and power of His spirit is one of the most painful experiences we can possibly suffer.
Many are more than willing to die for their beliefs than to faithfully live them. The most effective way to introduce others to the word of God is not to die for it, but simply to obey it. One of the most pronounced sources of spiritual power is obedience to the laws of God.
When God sends us a miracle, it is because we obeyed a commandment that justified a miracle. Any desire we hope to achieve or accomplish that is exceptional, substantial, or advantageous will be realized through obedience to God’s law.
In view of this, it is incomprehensible how any faithful believer would ever choose less than what God has to offer. It would be fitting for each of us to decide where we stand in connection with the primary and powerful law of obedience.
Obedience to God is not an inconvenience, it is our ultimate aspiration; it is not a stumbling block, it is a powerful and profitable building block.
C. S. Lewis wrote, “Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of- throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace.” (Mere Christianity [New York: Macmillan Publishing Co., Inc., Macmillan
Paperbacks Edition, 1960], p. 174.)
Our life on earth is about learning. It is about enlarging our experience and employing our faith. We are here to improve our perception of life’s purpose and the magnificence of its possibilities; to savor the expectation of the promises of glory that await the faithful beyond this life and beyond all current comprehension; and to fully
recognize that God lives and that He loves us.
Even Jesus, the greatest of all, learned obedience though suffering. (Hebrews 5:8). His hardship and affliction were part of his learning. Like Jesus, we are also here to learn obedience. We don’t need to wander unfamiliar paths in search of truth. God has laid out the way and furnished us with the unfailing map of His law.
True happiness in this life and progress toward the glories beyond is achieved as we learn to be humble and to discard the constraints of disobedience to God’s law. Isaiah invites us, “Come now, and let us reason together…though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you be willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land." (Isaiah 1:18-19).
We all want happiness. We hope for it, live for it, and make it our primary goal in life. But do we live in a way that allows us to enjoy the happiness we desire so deeply?
The way to be happy is simply to believe in Jesus Christ and obey the gospel. When we obey God’s law, then we can expect to find the happiness we desire. If we don’t obey, we cannot enjoy the total happiness found in the gospel. To profess a belief in Christ and yet not enjoy the comfort and power of His spirit is one of the most painful experiences we can possibly suffer.
Many are more than willing to die for their beliefs than to faithfully live them. The most effective way to introduce others to the word of God is not to die for it, but simply to obey it. One of the most pronounced sources of spiritual power is obedience to the laws of God.
When God sends us a miracle, it is because we obeyed a commandment that justified a miracle. Any desire we hope to achieve or accomplish that is exceptional, substantial, or advantageous will be realized through obedience to God’s law.
In view of this, it is incomprehensible how any faithful believer would ever choose less than what God has to offer. It would be fitting for each of us to decide where we stand in connection with the primary and powerful law of obedience.
Obedience to God is not an inconvenience, it is our ultimate aspiration; it is not a stumbling block, it is a powerful and profitable building block.
