"God has called us to live holy lives" (1 Thessalonians 4:7), and Psalm 119:9-16 gives us 9 steps for achieving that goal.
First on the list: Live according to God's Word (Psalm 119:9).
The Hebrew for "word" in this passage includes God's commands, promises and revelation.
It's all-encompassing.
If we genuinely love God, we'll obey His commands because we believe in His character and trust His promises.
We'll obey from the heart, not the head, and we'll seek to please Him, not simply escape punishment.
We'll forgive, consider others better than ourselves, honor our parents, love our neighbor, nurture our children, help the needy, use pure language, share the gospel, and do other good works,(1) not simply because it's our duty but because we love our Lord and we want to please Him by living according to His Word.
We can obey God without loving Him, but we cannot love God without obeying Him.
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(1) References:
forgive: Colossians 3:13
consider others better: Philippians 2:3
honor parents: Ephesians 6:2-3
love our neighbor: Mark 12:33
nurture our children: Ephesians 6:4
help the needy: James 2:14-17
use pure language: Ephesians 5:4
share the Gospel: Matthew 28:18-20
do good works: Ephesians 2:10
This is part of a series on Psalm 119. See the entire series HERE.
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I encourage you to check out the Wisdom for Life Devotional. It contains 100 one-minute devotions to challenge, encourage, instruct, and inspire your love for God's Word. Read the story behind Wisdom for Life HERE. And find out about the two free Bible studies with purchase HERE. You can read the first 4 devotions in the book by clicking "look inside" on Lifeway or Amazon. In addition, you can buy the book in Kindle format on Amazon and as an ebook on Barnes and Noble.
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Bible Love Notes
Thank you for sharing this great reminder! I thank God that love for God helps motivate us to obey and His Spirit gives us the strength of character to obey.
ReplyDeleteDavid......loved God. I love my parents too, yet have disobeyed. That said....I get the point that we really do need to be mindful that when we profess our love for God, and others for that matter, how we act towards them, may well define our level of ability to love in a healthy, life giving way. Thankful the Lord does not give up on us when we mess up and fall short of His perfect love, His grace compels me to change and learn to love better, every day.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Kellysue. I have made many mistakes. The important thing is that we respond to the Holy Spirit's conviction and make efforts to do things that bless our Lord.
DeleteIt's a process, but I'm so glad God keeps teaching and training us for our good and His glory.