WHAT DOES GOD EXPECT?
By Nikita Harris
In the family, God has given us a powerful and vivid illustration of our relationship with Him. God is our Father, and we are His children. Jesus Christ, "the firstborn among many brethren", is our elder brother. We begin our walk with God as newborn babes, and over time we grow up unto him, so that we are no more children, tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, but instead, are rooted and grounded in love, and grounded and settled in the faith.
Like
a newborn baby, a new Christian is rightfully concerned about getting his or
her own needs met, and his or her own growth.
The new Christian is just getting to know God, just getting to know
Christ, and is vitally interested in the question: What can God and Christ do for me? And like the good Father that He is, God goes
out of His way to show His new child that He loves him, that He will always be
there for him, and that He is able and willing to take care of him.
As
we begin to grow in Christ, we are confronted with some new truths. We begin to realize that we are not the
center of the universe; God is. He does
not exist to do our will; we exist to do His.
We learn that as members of God's family, we have responsibilities
toward God, toward our fellow members of the body of Christ, and toward those
who are not yet followers of Christ. And
we learn the hard lesson that God is not always going to give us what we want,
when we want it.
As
a young Christian, I was introduced to the promises of God found in God's
written Word. I was fascinated to see
the enormity of my Heavenly Father's love for me, and the greatness of the
power that He is willing to exercise on my behalf. I started to see that God is, indeed, my
sufficiency in all things, and I began to grow in my trust of Him, and in my
confidence in Him.
However,
I soon began to see that I was not receiving many of the things I asked God
for, even when I believed what He said in His Word. I went back to God's Word to find out what
was wrong, with other believers who were experiencing the same thing, and I
learned that while some of the promises in God's Word are unconditional, most
have conditions attached to them.
Believing God does not mean simply agreeing in your head that God is
telling you the truth; it means carrying out the conditions attached to the
promise you are asking God to fulfil.
This
satisfied me for a while, and I continued to grow and mature in Christ, and to
grow in my knowledge of God's Word. But
after a while I started to realize that I was still seeing too many of God's
promises unfulfilled in my life, even when I thought I was fulfilling the
conditions given with the promise. Again
I went to God's Word to find out what was wrong.
What
I saw there convinced me that I've been looking at the idea of the promises of
God all wrong. I had been taught to go
to God's Word and look for what I wanted to receive from God, and to look for
any conditions connected with what I wanted to receive. I was then to go to God with my "gimme list", believe Him to give me what I had asked
for, and act out my faith by carrying out the conditions that I found attached
to what it was that I wanted from God.
But what I saw was that many of the items I thought were conditions for
receiving the promises of God are not optional at all; they are required
behavior for God's children.
What
I learned was that God expects certain things of His children. Whether we ever receive
anything from God or not, He rightfully expects certain behaviors from us. But God, in His great love for us, does not
stop there. He makes it clear that when
we do those things which He has every right to expect us to do, we will receive
the benefits that come with doing those things that God expects from us.
What
are some of the things that God expects from us? And what are some of the benefits of doing
those things that God expects us to do?
God expects us to fear
and reverence Him.
Job
28:28
And unto man he said,
Behold, the fear of the Lord, that [is] wisdom; and to depart from evil [is]
understanding.
The fear of the Lord that we are supposed to
have is not the kind of fear that Adam had when he disobeyed God, and hid from
Him. Instead, the we
are to have a clear and honest understanding of who God is, and how serious His
words are. We are to be in awe of Him
because we recognize Him for who He is, and obey Him accordingly.
Malachi
1:6
A son honoureth [his] father, and a servant his master: if then I
[be] a father, where [is] mine honour? and if I [be] a master, where [is] my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you,
O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein
have we despised thy name?
In scripture, the awe we are supposed to have
for God is compared to the fear a servant is supposed to have for his or her
master, or the honor a child is supposed to have for his or her parent. A good father loves his children, but is
determined to raise them up to be a credit to their family, and a good reflection
on their parents. A good father loves
his children enough to discipline them when they need it, so that they will
grow into men and women he will be proud to call his sons and daughters.
I Peter 1:13-19.
1:13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope
to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of
Jesus Christ;
1:14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to
the former lusts in your ignorance:
1:15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in
all manner of conversation;
1:16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
1:17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons
judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time
of your sojourning [here] in fear:
1:18 Forasmuch as ye
know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, [as] silver and gold,
from your vain conversation [received] by tradition from your fathers;
1:19 But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:
The one whom we call on as our Father is
impartial in His judgment. Knowing this,
we need to pattern ourselves after our Father in terms of holiness. We do not obtain righteousness on the basis
of our holy "conversation" (v. 15), that is, our holy behavior; we
have received that on the basis of the blood of Jesus Christ which was shed on
our behalf. However, fashioning
ourselves according to the holiness of our Father rather than according to the
desires we had when we were ignorant is key to walking in obedience toward God,
and walking worthy of the calling with which we were called.
Good earthly parents do not merely allow our
natural fear and awe of them to determine how obediently we will walk with
them. Instead, they faithfully train us,
giving us correction when needed, so that we will grow up in a way that will
bring credit on our upbringing. God uses
the same methods in instructing us.
Hebrews 12:5-11.
12:5 And ye have
forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as
unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint
when thou art rebuked of him:
12:6 For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every
son whom he receiveth.
12:7 If ye endure chastening, God dealeth
with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth
not?
12:8 But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are
partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons.
12:9 Furthermore we
have had fathers of our flesh which corrected [us], and we gave [them]
reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of
spirits, and live?
12:10 For they verily for a few days chastened [us] after their
own pleasure; but he for [our] profit, that [we] might be partakers of his
holiness.
12:11 Now no chastening for the present seemeth
to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth
the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.
God's correction is evidence of God's love for
us. God's purpose in chastening, or
correcting, us is that we might be share in His
holiness, and that we have proper reverence (v. 9) for Him. As we grow in our knowledge of Him and of His
Word, God expects us to grow in our ability to correct ourselves, so that we do
not have to be corrected so often by Him.
1
Corinthians 11:31-32
11:31 For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.
11:32 But when we are
judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the
world.
A healthy awe and respect for God does not come
naturally to us. It comes as we grow in
our knowledge and understanding of God, and it grows as God works with us and
in us to help us to see Him for who He really is.
We’re supposed to fear the Lord just because that’s the right thing to do. But God gives special benefits to those who obediently reverence and fear Him. Here are just a few of them:
·
The
Lord confides in those who fear Him.
Psalm 25:14 (NIV)
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him; he makes his covenant known to
them.
Do you want the Lord to trust you enough to take you into His confidence? The key to receiving this kind of intimate
relationship with Him is fearing Him.
·
The Lord watches over and protects those who
fear Him.
Psalm 33:18-19.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope
in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
The Lord particularly watches over and protects those who fear Him, even in the
midst of hardship and disaster. Do you
want to become the object of the Lord’s special protection? The key is to fear the Lord, like you and I
are supposed to do.
·
The
Lord gives special angelic protection to those who fear Him.
Psalm 34:7.
7 The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them
that fear him, and delivereth them.
Would you like to receive this special kind of protection? The key is to fear the Lord.
·
The Lord sees to it that the needs of
those who fear Him are met.
Psalm 34:9 (NIV)
9 Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing.
Would you like for God to see to it that you lack nothing? The key to receiving this benefit is fearing the Lord.
·
The
Lord gives His lovingkindness, or mercy, to those who
fear Him.
Psalm 103:8-18.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous in mercy.
9 He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our
iniquities.
11 For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him.
12 As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our
transgressions from us.
13 Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth
them that fear him.
14 For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth
that we are dust.
15 As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth.
16 For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and
the place thereof shall know it no more.
17 But the mercy of the LORD is from
everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness
unto children's children;
18 To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his commandments to
do them.
Would you like to be singled out as a recipient of God’s lovingkindness,
or mercy? Would you like for God to deal
gently with you, even when you sin? The
key to receiving this benefit from God is to fear Him, as He has commanded us
to do.
·
The
Lord fulfils the desires of those who fear Him.
Psalm 145:18-19.
18 The LORD is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him
in truth.
19 He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their
cry, and will save them.
Would you like for God to grant you the desires of your heart? You position yourself to receive this from
Him by fearing and reverencing Him.
·
The
Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him.
Psalm 147:11.
11 The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in
those that hope in his mercy.
Would you like for the Lord to take pleasure in you? Then fear Him. It’s not just a good idea. In the
God expects our obedience.
God
made us. He invented us and gave us
life. This means that we do not belong
to ourselves; we belong, instead, to Him.
Psalm
100:3
3
Know ye that the LORD he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.
Because
He is our maker, and because He is our owner, we owe God our obedience.
Psalm
95:6-8.
6
O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.
7
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his
hand. To day if
ye will hear his
voice,
8
Harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation
in the
wilderness:
Obedience
to God is not something optional. It is
mandatory even for those living according to the world’s way of doing things,
because of who God is. For those who
are within the household of God, obedience to God is expected by God.
Unfortunately,
we live in a world where disobedience to God is the norm, and “obedient” is
something of a dirty word when applied to an adult. We prize independence, but independence, when
directed toward God or toward what God has said, is rebellion.
Obedience
toward God is an acknowledgement of His sovereignty over us. It is a recognition
that God is wiser than we are, and that God’s love for us is greater even than
our love for ourselves. Obedience is
putting your trust where your mouth, or your confession, is.
Lack
of obedience is an indication of a lack of knowledge of God.
I
John 2:3-4.
3 ¶ And hereby we do
know that we know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 He that saith,
I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a
liar, and the truth is not in him.
The
critical test that accurately determines whether or not we know God, or to what
extent we know God, is our obedience or disobedience toward Him. To the extent that we obey Him, we
demonstrate that we know who it is that we are dealing with. To the extent that we disobey Him, to that
extent we demonstrate that we do not know Him.
Obedience
towards God is not something that we are to do if and when we happen to feel
like it. Obedience is commanded and
required by God. It is supposed to be
the norm in our lives.
Ezekiel
20:19.
19 I [am] the LORD your God; walk in my statutes, and keep my judgments, and do them;
Psalm
119:4-6.
4 ¶ Thou hast commanded [us] to keep thy
precepts diligently.
5 O that my ways were directed to keep
thy statutes!
6 Then shall I not be ashamed, when I
have respect unto all thy commandments.
When
we don’t obey God, one end result is that we will have reason to be
ashamed. Obeying God protects us from
shameful behavior.
Psalm
32:8-9.
8 I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye.
9 Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.
God
gives certain benefits to those who obey Him.
Here are some of them.
·
God
listens to those who do His will.
John 9:31.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if
any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
·
God
answers the prayers of those who do His will.
I John 3:21-22.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we
confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
·
God
gives health and healing to those who do His will.
Exodus 15:26.
26 And said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the LORD thy God,
and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his
commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon
thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee.
·
God
prolongs the lives of those who obey Him.
Deuteronomy 4:39-40.
39 Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine
heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath:
there is none else.
40 Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his
commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and
with thy children after thee, and that thou mayest
prolong thy days upon the earth, which the LORD thy God giveth
thee, for ever.
·
The
Father loves those who keep His commandments, and Christ will reveal himself to
them.
John 14:21.
21 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he
it is that loveth me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself
to him.
III. God
expects us to wait on Him.
Trusting God in times of trouble means not only being
confident that God will do what He has promised that He will do, but trusting
both His methods and His timing. God is perfect. His ways are perfect. His timing is also perfect.
God’s
perfect timing is often in conflict with our all-too-human impatience. When that happens, it is not God who must
change; it is us. God expects His people
to trust Him enough to wait on Him for deliverance.
We
wait on the Lord because He has made all things.
Jeremiah
14:22.
22
Are there any among the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? or can the heavens give showers? art
not thou he, O LORD our God? therefore we will wait
upon thee: for thou hast made all these things.
We
are to wait on the Lord when we are vexed by the wicked.
Psalm
37:7.
7
Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him
who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
We
are to wait on the Lord, keeping our eyes firmly fixed on Him, when we need
help or deliverance.
Psalm
123:1-2.
1
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest
in the heavens.
2
Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the
eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the LORD
our God, until that he have mercy upon us.
We
are even to wait on the Lord, seeking Him out if necessary, when it appears to
us that He has turned His back on us.
Isaiah
8:17.
17
And I will wait upon the LORD, that hideth his face
from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him.
Waiting
on the Lord is a necessary and integral part of believing God. It is not optional. It is something that God expects from those
who trust Him.
Lamentations
3:24-26.
24
The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will
I hope in him.
25
The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him.
26
It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of
the LORD.
What
benefits does God give to those who wait upon Him? Here are a few of them:
·
The
Lord strengthens the hearts of those who wait on Him.
Psalm 27:13-14.
13 [I had fainted], unless I had believed
to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
14 Wait on the LORD: be of good courage,
and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on
the LORD.
God doesn’t leave us to rely on our own limited strength and ability while
we’re waiting on Him. Instead, He
strengthens our hearts so that we are able to hold on until He delivers us.
·
The
Lord renews the strength of those who wait on Him.
Isaiah 40:31-32.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly
fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall
mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall
walk, and not faint.
·
The
Lord delivers from evil those who wait on Him.
Proverbs 20:22.
22 Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall
save thee.
God has instructed His people not to do evil to those who have done evil to
them, but to wait on the Lord instead.
When we do this, the Lord takes on the responsibility of delivering us
from the one who is doing evil to us.
We live in a “microwave” age, an age where we can get almost anything we want almost instantly. Because of this, we are an impatient people. If we don’t receive what we want, when we want it, we start looking for other ways to achieve our goals. We have been spoiled by the abundance with which God has blessed us.
God
will not be hurried by our impatience, nor will He readjust His perfect
timetable to satisfy our whims. He wants
us to learn to rely not on ourselves, but on Him, on His wisdom and power, and
on His love. The better we get to know
Him, the more we will realize that His timing and His planning have been right
all along, and can be relied on in the future.
Hosea
12:6.
6 Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep
mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.
IV. God
expects us to trust Him.
We serve a God who cannot lie. Our God is faithful, and He has the knowledge and power to bring to pass whatever He purposes to do.
Numbers 23:19.
19
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son
of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
In
light of this, it would seem only logical and natural that we trust God. Unfortunately, our natural tendency is to put
greater trust in who and what we can see than we put
in God.
This
is not what God wants, or expects, from His people. He does not want us to put our trust in other
people. Instead, He wants us to put our
trust in Him.
Jeremiah 17:5, 7.
5
Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh
his arm, and
whose heart departeth from the LORD…
7
Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and
whose hope the LORD is.
God
doesn’t even want us to put our trust in ourselves. God instructs His people to put their trust
in Him.
Proverbs
3:5-6.
5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not
unto thine own understanding.
6
In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
We
live in a world where people and things let us down. We buy products, then
discover that they fail to do what they’re supposed to do. People tell us that they are going to do
certain things, and we believe them, only to find out that what we expected
them to do has not been done. Over time,
we learn to expect that people will let us down, and we make contingency plans
for their failures.
When we come to God, we bring the distrust that we learned from our dealings with other people to our relationship with Him.
But
what God says He will do, He does. And
what God speaks, He makes good. As we
begin to walk out in obedience to God’s word, we begin to see God show Himself
faithful to His word in our lives, and we grow in our trust and confidence
toward Him.
Psalm
118:8-9.
8 [It is] better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in man.
9 [It is] better to trust in the LORD
than to put confidence in princes.
When
you put your trust in yourself, or in other men, you are at the mercy of your
situation or circumstances.
Isaiah 7:1-2.
1
And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz the son of Jotham, the son of Uzziah, king
of Judah, that Rezin the king of
2
And it was told the house of David, saying,
But
the confidence of the man or woman whose trust is in God does not fluctuate
with the latest news report.
Psalm
112:7-8.
7 He shall not be afraid of evil
tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart [is] established, he shall
not be afraid, until he see [his desire] upon his enemies.
God
instructs and expects us to put our trust in Him. What benefits does He give to those who trust
Him?
·
The
Lord acts as a shield to those who put their trust in Him.
II Samuel 22:31.
31 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him.
·
The
Lord gives gladness and peace to those who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 4:5-8.
5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
6 There be many that say, Who will shew
us any good? LORD, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.
7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and
their wine increased.
8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
God makes those who trust in Him to dwell in safety. The result for them is both gladness and
peace, even before they are delivered from the trouble confronting them.
·
The
Lord delivers those who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 20:6-8.
6 Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he
will hear him from his holy heaven the saving strength of his right hand.
7 Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of
the LORD our God.
8 They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen,
and stand upright.
·
The
Lord gives mercy to those who put their trust in Him.
Psalm 32:10.
10 Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth
in the LORD, mercy shall compass him about.
·
The
Lord supplies the needs and grants the godly desires of those who trust Him.
Psalm 37:3-5.
3 Trust in the LORD, and do good; so shalt thou dwell
in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
4 Delight thyself also in the LORD: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
5 Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to
pass.
Although
many of us think and act as though trusting in the Lord is something that needs
to be done only if and when we want something from the Lord, the truth is that
trust in the Lord is much more basic than that.
Trust begins with our moment by moment decisions to obey or disobey
God. It grows from there to looking to
God rather than to ourselves or others as our source of supply.
When
we trust God, we are judging Him to be faithful to His word.
Hebrews
11:11.
11
Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was
delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who
had promised.
Though we usually don’t think of it in this way, not accepting God’s word about something is the same as calling God a liar.
I
John 5:10.
10
He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself: he that
believeth not God hath made him a liar; because he believeth not the record
that God gave of his Son.
While this verse is talking about a specific example, the principle introduced here is much broader: Not believing God about anything is, in effect, making a liar out of God.
Jesus
taught trust in God in even more basic terms.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught that the basic choice we must
make, day by day, is between seeking God first, or
seeking anything else first, or between putting our trust in God and putting
our trust in anyone or anything else.
Matthew
6:24-33.
24
No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the
other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve
God and mammon.
25
Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or
what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall
put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26
Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather
into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are
ye not much better than they?
27
Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28
And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they
grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his
glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to
morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little
faith?
31
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or,
Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for
your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all
these things.
33 But seek ye first the
Mammon
here does not refer primarily to riches.
The context makes it clear that what is being
talked about here is your basic needs.
Jesus is saying that you must choose between putting God first and
putting your next meal first, that is, between pleasing God and doing what you
feel you need to do in order to get your needs met.
The
quality of our walk with God depends on whether we put our trust in Him, or
whether we choose to put our trust in what we can see, or in what we or others
can do.
V. God
expects us to have fellowship with Him.
God
designed man with fellowship with him in mind.
He gave man language before He gave man a companion, and communicated
with man before man ever communicated with anyone else. The message in this is clear: God gave man language, first and foremost,
for communication between God and man.
In
the Garden of Eden, the man and the woman did not seem to regard hearing the
“voice of the Lord” walking in the garden as an unusual thing. It seems that visits by God to the garden
were a regular thing for them.
When
man sinned, he lost this kind of intimacy with God. But even after the fall, we see evidence of
God’s desire for intimate fellowship with man.
Thus we see the Angel of the Lord, representing God Himself, appearing
at Abraham’s door with two other angels, as though God had just happened to be
in the neighborhood and stopped by to say hello to Abraham. Later, we see God giving Moses directions for
building a tabernacle, or tent, for Him in the wilderness, as though God
Himself were moving into
But
the design of the Tabernacle made it clear that this was, at best, an imperfect
solution.
Hebrews
9:1-10.
1
Then verily the first covenant had also ordinances of divine service, and a
worldly sanctuary.
2
For there was a tabernacle made; the first, wherein was the candlestick, and
the table, and the shewbread; which is called the
sanctuary.
3
And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
4
Which had the golden censer, and the ark of the covenant
overlaid round about with gold, wherein was the golden pot that had manna, and
Aaron's rod that budded, and the tables of the covenant;
5
And over it the cherubims of glory shadowing the mercyseat; of which we cannot now speak particularly.
6
Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the
first tabernacle, accomplishing the service of God.
7
But into the second went the high priest alone once every year, not without
blood, which he offered for himself, and for the errors of the people:
8
The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not
yet made manifest, while as the first tabernacle was yet standing:
9
Which was a figure for the time then present, in which were offered both gifts
and sacrifices, that could not make him that did the service perfect, as
pertaining to the conscience;
10
Which stood only in meats and drinks, and divers
washings, and carnal ordinances, imposed on them until the time of reformation.
God’s house may have been present among the people, but there was a big “Keep Out!” sign on the door. Only the High Priest was allowed in God’s presence, and then only once a year, with blood. Although this was a closer relationship than that enjoyed by anyone else in the world, it could hardly be described as intimate.
Jesus
Christ changed all this.
Hebrews
9:11-14.
11
But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and
more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this
building;
12 Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own
blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal
redemption for us.
13
For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an
heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the
purifying of the flesh:
14
How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered
himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God?
Through
his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ paid the full price for our sins, and
reconciled us to God. The result of this
was peace with God, and an open welcome into His presence.
Romans
5:1-2.
1
Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord
Jesus Christ:
2
By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and
rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
Through
Christ we have an access to God that was denied to those who served God before
Christ’s death and resurrection.
Hebrews
4:16.
16
Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
The
“throne of grace” is what is called “the mercy seat” in the Tabernacle. This was off limits to all except the High
Priest under the Law. But those of us
who are in Christ have received an open invitation into God’s presence.
Nor
does God stop with inviting us into His presence. He has also invited Himself into our lives.
John
14:21-24.
21
He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it
is that loveth me: and he that loveth
me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself
to him.
22
Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it
that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto
the world?
23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he
will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and
make our abode with him.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not
mine, but the Father's which sent me.
This
is the kind of intimacy we are talking about when we speak of fellowship with
God. We move in with God and Christ, and
God moves in with us. We put ourselves
and all that we have at God’s disposal, and He puts His resources at ours.
John
15:7.
7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it
shall be done unto you.
David,
in Psalm 23, expressed his desire to dwell forever in the house of the
Lord. We have been invited to move in
with God. We have, in effect, been given
what David could only dream about.
I
John 1:3.
3 That which we have seen and heard
declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our
fellowship [is] with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
We
have been invited to have fellowship, or a relationship of full and intimate
sharing, with God, and with His son Jesus Christ. Our fellowship with God and with Christ is
the basis and foundation of our fellowship with one another. It is hard to have fellowship with God and
with Christ and at the same time refuse to have fellowship with someone else
with whom they have fellowship. Such an
attitude suggests a problem with our assessment of the other person, not with
God’s.
The
prerequisite for this kind of fellowship is obedience to God through Jesus
Christ.
I
John 1:5-7.
5 ¶ This then is the
message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light,
and in him is no darkness at all.
6 If we say that we have fellowship with
him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is
in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ
his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
There
is no darkness in God. If we are walking
in darkness, it is clear that we are not walking with God.
God
expects us to enter into fellowship with Him and with Christ. What benefits does He give to those who do?
¨
The Lord gives joy to those who
fellowship with Him.
I John 1:3-4.
3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto
you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with
the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy
may be full.
There is fulness of joy in the presence of God (Psalm
16:11). Those who spend time in
fellowship with God and with Christ share in this fulness
of joy which is available only from God.
¨
The Lord gives rest and assistance to
those who fellowship with Him.
Matthew 11:28-30.
28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy
laden, and I will give you rest.
29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart:
and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus' invitation here is not just to come to him, but to take up his yoke as
well. A yoke is a device for harnessing
two animals together, so that they can pull on the same load together. Wearing a yoke indicates that you are about
to do some work, but it also indicates that you will have help doing it.
A yoke is designed for sharing labor.
Taking up Jesus' yoke implies that the two of you will be together for a
while. The invitation to take up his
yoke is given to those who are already burdened down and working hard. The promise is that as a result of taking up
Jesus' yoke, you will receive rest from the burden you are bearing; not because
you have laid your burden down, but because you will have help bearing it. As the stronger partner on the team, Jesus is
offering to do the lion's share of the work.
¨
Those who maintain sustained fellowship
with Christ are guaranteed to bear fruit.
John 15:4-5.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except
it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth
in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much
fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
God expects for those who belong to Him to produce fruit. The fruit He is primarily looking for does
not consist of new converts. (In Matthew
23:15, Jesus charged the scribes and Pharisees with searching far and wide to
make one convert, only to make him twice the child of hell that they themselves
were. Merely making converts is clearly
not enough.) Rather, the fruit He is
looking for is quality of life, or, more particularly, the fruit of the spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
God has not called upon us to make such monumental changes in our character
through our own human efforts. Instead,
He has called upon us to abide in Christ.
As we are faithful to do so, we will find that our character changes to
become more like that of our Father, and that of our Lord.
¨
Those who maintain sustained fellowship
with Christ receive consistent answers to prayer.
John 15:7.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and
it shall be done unto you.
God, through Christ, has given virtually a blank check with respect to prayer
to those who abide in Christ, and who allow his words to abide in them. There are at least two things that make this
kind of commitment from God possible to those who do this.
First, those who abide in Christ will find themselves being changed with
respect to their character, so that it grows more and more like Christ's. As their character changes, their desires
likewise change, so that they reflect more and more closely God's will.
I John 5:14-15.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing
according to his will, he heareth us:
15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him.
Second, our confidence in God grows as we abide in Christ. This increased confidence results in our
receiving more consistent answers to prayer.
I John 3:20-22.
20 For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.
21 Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we
confidence toward God.
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments,
and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
VI. God
expects us to hope.
Hope
and trust are closely related. We
believe God for what is available now.
We hope for what is promised for the future, but not available in the
present.
Romans
8:24-25.
24 For
we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for?
25 But
if we hope for that we see not, [then] do we with patience wait for [it].
The
object of our hope is God.
Psalms
71:5.
5 For
thou [art] my hope, O Lord GOD: [thou art] my trust from my youth.
The
basis of our hope in God is His faithfulness in the past. If we remember what God has done in the past,
we will have hope. If we fail to
remember, we will lose our hope in Him.
Psalm
78:4-8.
4
We will not hide them from their children, shewing to
the generation to come the praises of the LORD, and his strength, and his
wonderful works that he hath done.
5
For he established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in
6
That the generation to come might know them, even the children which should be
born; who should arise and declare them to their children:
7
That they might set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but
keep his commandments:
8
And might not be as their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation; a
generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not stedfast with God.
The
evidence of our hope in God is our obedience to His word.
Our
hope in God is twofold. We hope in the
present for God's deliverance from adverse situations, even when we see no way
out; and we hope in the future for God's deliverance from death by means of His
gift of eternal life.
For
us who are born again of God's spirit, our hope is embodied in Christ Jesus.
I
Timothy 1:1.
1
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope;
I
Peter 1:3-5.
3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his
abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead,
4
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth
not away, reserved in heaven for you,
5
Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be
revealed in the last time.
The
greatness of God's power towards the church has been made manifest by His
raising of Christ from the dead, never to die again. Christ's resurrection is proof to us that God
will also raise up those who trust in Christ.
I
Corinthians 6:14.
14
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also
raise up us by his own power.
I
Corinthians 15:19-21.
19
If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable.
20
But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
21
For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
What
benefits does God give to those who put their hope in Him?
¨
The Lord strengthens the hearts of those
who trust in Him..
Psalm 31:24.
24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in
the LORD.
God asks for those who hope in Him to "be of good courage," but as they
do, He strengthens their heart -- that is, He gives them more courage than they
were able to come up with on their own.
Hope provides us with an anchor for our soul, so that our hearts are not tossed
to and fro by the circumstances that confront us.
Hebrews 6:19a.
19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast…
¨
The Lord protects those who hope in Him
from death, and delivers them in the midst of hardship.
Psalm 33:18-19.
18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope
in his mercy;
19 To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive in famine.
It's easy to turn to God in a crisis and ask for help, but not everyone
receives the help that they ask for.
Those who put their hope in the Lord place themselves under the watchful
eyes of their loving God, who protects them from death, and in the midst of
adverse circumstances that threaten them.
He does not promise that they will never experience disasters. He does, however, promise to keep them alive
when others are dying around them.
¨
The Lord establishes those who hope in
Him.
Jeremiah 17:7.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and
whose hope the LORD is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth
out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf
shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall
cease from yielding fruit.
The Lord causes those who hope in Him to flourish like a that
is planted where there is plenty of water (rather than growing where it happens
to fall). The Lord sees to it that their
needs are met so completely that they are not affected by hardships that
cripple others. He sees to it that they
continually produce fruit.
VII. God
expects us to joy and rejoice.
We
generally think of joy and rejoicing as emotional responses to favorable
circumstances. We have joy when our
hearts are light, and we rejoice when the mood hits us.
However,
the scriptures inform us that rejoicing is not optional in our relationship
with God. God commands us to rejoice.
I
Thessalonians 5:16.
16 ¶ Rejoice evermore.
Philippians
4:4.
4 Rejoice in the Lord alway: [and] again I say, Rejoice.
How
can God expect for us to feel what we do not feel? God doesn't expect us to pretend, or to put
on a happy front, or to conjure up some joy from deep down inside
ourselves. Instead, He expects for us to
change what we're looking at. He wants
us to take our eyes off of our circumstances, and to fix them on Him. When we do, we will find that we have good
reason to rejoice.
¨
We rejoice because no matter what things
look like, God is in control.
I Chronicles 16:31.
31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice: and let men say among
the nations, The LORD reigneth.
Psalm 97:1
1 The LORD reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the
multitude of isles be glad thereof.
Keeping in mind Who is really in charge shifts your
focus from your present hardships to the One who can do something about them,
and gives you good reason to rejoice in the midst of adversity.
¨
We rejoice in the written word of God.
Jeremiah 15:16.
16 Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy
and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by thy name, O LORD God of hosts.
.
God's word is a constant reminder to us of who God is, what He has done for us
and others in the past, and what He has promised to do for us in the
future. God's word provides a solid
foundation for our joy.
¨
We rejoice because of what God has
already done for us.
Deuteronomy 26:11.
11 And thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which
the LORD thy God hath given unto thee, and unto thine
house, thou, and the Levite, and the stranger that is among you.
When we keep in mind the good things that God has already done for us, we will
find it hard not to rejoice in the present, even if we are having a difficult
time in the present.
¨
We rejoice regardless of our
circumstances.
Habakkuk 3:17-18.
17 Although the fig tree shall not
blossom, neither [shall] fruit [be] in the vines; the labour
of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flock shall be
cut off from the fold, and [there shall be] no herd in the stalls:
18
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.
Even when everything seems to be going wrong in our lives, the proper response
for us who love God is to rejoice in the Lord.
We rejoice because we know that it is from God that we will receive our
deliverance.
¨
We rejoice when God delivers us.
Psalm 13:4-5.
4 Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me
rejoice when I am moved.
5 But I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.
Romans 5:11.
11 And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by
whom we have now received the atonement.
Whether God is delivering us from the power of darkness, or from some immediate
problem or danger or enemy that threatens us, His deliverance is cause for
rejoicing on our part.
¨
We rejoice in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Philippians 3:1, 3.
1 ¶ Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To
write the same things to you, to me indeed [is] not grievous, but for you [it
is] safe.
3 For we are the circumcision, which
worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence
in the flesh.
Every thing that God has done for us, and will do for us, is wrapped up in
Jesus Christ. We have nothing from God
that has not come to us through him, or that is not the result of what he
accomplished on our behalf by his life, death, resurrection and present
ministry. Jesus Christ is our ultimate
cause for rejoicing.
What
benefits does God give to those who rejoice in Him?
¨
The Lord delivers those who rejoice in
Him.
Psalm 9:1-3.
1 I will praise thee, O LORD, with my whole heart; I will shew
forth all thy marvellous works.
2 I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, O thou
most High.
3 When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence.
4 For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; thou satest
in the throne judging right.
God comes to the rescue of those who are in the right and who rejoice in Him.
¨
The Lord establishes those who hope in
Him.
Jeremiah 17:7.
7 Blessed is the man that trusteth in the LORD, and
whose hope the LORD is.
8 For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth
out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf
shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall
cease from yielding fruit.
The Lord causes those who hope in Him to flourish like a that
is planted where there is plenty of water (rather than growing where it happens
to fall). The Lord sees to it that their
needs are met so completely that they are not affected by hardships that
cripple others. He sees to it that they
continually produce fruit.
VIII. God
expects us to love.
What
is the greatest of all God’s commandments?
Jesus was asked this question once.
Mark
12:28-31.
28 And
one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and
perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first
commandment of all?
29 And
Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The
Lord our God is one Lord:
30 And
thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this
is the first commandment.
31 And
the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment
greater than these.
Loving
God and loving your neighbor are not optional activities. We are commanded by God to love Him, and we
are commanded by God to love our neighbor.
Loving
God and loving your neighbor are requirements for godly living.
God
has every right to expect for us to love Him, because He loved us before we
ever thought about loving Him.
I
John 4:19.
19 We
love him, because he first loved us.
God
manifested His love for us by giving us His son, Jesus Christ, to die in our
place.
John
3:16.
16For God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
And
He did this for us, not while we were striving to obey Him, but while we were
actively rebelling against Him.
Romans
5:6-10.
6 For
when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.
7 For
scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some
would even dare to die.
8 But
God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we
were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
9 Much
more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through him.
10 For
if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son,
much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
But
what does it mean to love God? Does it
mean that we are to have soft, warm, benevolent feelings toward God in our
hearts? Or does it mean something more?
God
Deuteronomy
10:12.
12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God
require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to
love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy
soul,
13 To
keep the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this
day for thy good?
God
expects for His people to give Him love that manifests itself in obedience
toward God. To love God is to obey Him.
Jesus
also declared that the proof of our love for him is our obedience to his words.
John
14:21.
21 He that hath my
commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.
There
is a second proof of our love for God:
our love for our brethren.
I
John 4:20
20 If
a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is
a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he
hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?
If
we love God, it will be manifest in our love for our fellow man. If we do not love our fellow man, that is evidence that we do not love God.
What
benefits does God give to those who love Him?
¨
The Lord gives freedom from fear to those
who love Him..
I John 4:18.
18 There is no
fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear:
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not
made perfect in love.
¨
The Lord gives length of days to those
who love Him.
Deuteronomy 30:20.
20 That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest
cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware
unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.
¨
The Lord delivers those who love Him from
evil.
Psalm 91:14-15.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me,
therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my
name
15 He shall call upon me, and I will
answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
Psalm 97:10.
10 Ye that love
the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his
saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the
wicked.
¨
The Lord loves those who love Him.
John 14:21.
21 He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.
This might seem strange at first, since the Lord loves everybody. But Jesus gives us a clue as to what this
means in the very next chapter.
John 15:12-15.
12 This is my
commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
13 Greater love
hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
14 Ye are my
friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you
15 Henceforth I call you not servants;
for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but
I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have
made known unto you.
Here Jesus tells his disciples that when they do whatsoever he commands them,
they enter into a new relationship with him:
they become his friends rather than his servants. What is the difference? The servant doesn’t know what his lord is
doing, but the friend is taken into the lord’s confidence.
Those who manifest their love for Christ by means of their habitual obedience
to him truly have a friend in Jesus.
Since he includes God in this conditional relationship of love, it is
safe to presume that when we become friends of Jesus, we also become friends of
God, like Abraham.
¨
Christ will make himself known to those
who love him.
John 14:21.
21 He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me
shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.
Christ tells us here that he will not only befriend those who love him, taking
them into his confidence; he will also manifest himself, or reveal himself, to
them. This means that he will make
himself real to those who love him in a way that he is not real to the rest of
the world.
This seems like a clear enough statement; but it was not clear enough to one of
Jesus’ disciples, who asked him to explain what he meant.
John 14:22.
22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou
wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
Jesus’ answer brings us to our final point:
¨
God and Christ will make their home with
those who love him.
John 14:23.
23 Jesus
answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Jesus responded to Judas’ question by explaining that God and Christ will move
in with those who love him, and who manifest that love by obedience.
This is a staggering statement, almost unbelievable: God and Christ are offering to be our
housemates!
This is far more than God did for Abraham, when He sent three angels – one of
whom was the Angel of the Lord, God’s personal representative! – to drop by at
his house and spend the day with him, sharing dinner with him, clearing up a
misunderstanding between them, and inviting him to intercede with God on behalf
of Sodom, which God was planning to destroy.
Abram entertained angels unawares as a guest for the afternoon. We get God and Christ as houseguests
indefinitely, so long as we manifest our love for them by obedience.
But Jesus adds a warning to this stupendous offer:
John 14:24.
24 He that loveth me not keepeth not my
sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent
me.
Jesus’ warning is this: If you stop
obeying me, that means that you don’t love me anymore. And, it is implied, if you don’t love me, the
deal’s off. My Father and I are moving
out!
God
doesn’t owe us anything for doing what we’re supposed to be doing in the first
place. He has every right to expect for
us to do what we’re supposed to be doing.
We have no right to go before God offering conditional obedience in
specific areas of our life in exchange for particular rewards that we
want.
But
when we come to God in humility, obeying His word as faithfully as we can, not
for reward, but because of who God is, God rewards us
for our obedience.
We
don’t try to play “Let’s Make a Deal” with God.
Rather, we obey Him because He is God.