Read the transcript from today's video devotional.
Why do you obey God? Do you obey God so that He'll love you, so that He'll accept you, or to impress others? Do you obey God because you're afraid? Do you just obey God because that's what good people are supposed to do?
Or, do you obey God because you love Him? Because you want to obey God? This verse here in Proverbs, it falls right in the middle of these 30 sayings that Solomon has for his sons. This one happens to be number 17. It begins with Solomon pleading. He's really pleading with his son. He says, "O my son, give me your heart."
As Solomon says elsewhere in Proverbs chapter 4 and verse 23, the heart is the wellspring of life. In other words, all your convictions, all your desires, they come from your heart. What Solomon is saying here is, "Son, don't just give me your obedience. Give me your heart. Give me your love. Give me your trust. Give me your affection." Solomon knows that if his son gives him his heart, then here's what obedience will look like according to this verse. "May your eyes take delight in following my ways." If Solomon has his son's heart, then obedience will not be a duty. He knows that obedience will be a delight. That's what Solomon wants from his son. That is what every parent wants from their children. And this is what God wants from you.
Learning from My Dad's Wisdom
I can still remember my dad like it was yesterday. He would rattle off these things that he wanted me to do. It seemed like it was always on a Saturday morning and I got up and I just wanted to rest. I wanted to hang out with friends. I wanted to do what I wanted to do, and my dad would give me a list. "I want you to do this, and then I want you to do this, and then I want you to do this."
I would usually turn and say, "Yes, sir. Yes, dad." I'd walk away and I'd start getting to work. Then, I would hear him say this. I can still hear him say it: "And do it with a smile on your face." What was he saying? He's saying, "I don't just want your outward obedience. I want your heart to be in this. I want you to want to do it." Which was always a very difficult thing to do.
It's like Solomon here, pleading with his son. God wants more than our outward obedience. He's not just after behavior modification. He wants our love. He wants our trust, and He wants our devotion at this heart level.
The Heart of Obedience
I'll ask you again, why do you obey God? If you're a Christian, I assume you want to obey God. You obey God. But why? Christians often get this backwards. Do you obey God so that He will love you and accept you? Or do you obey God because He has loved you and accepted you? That's the gospel.
The gospel is that I don't need to earn God's favor, or God's love or affection or acceptance. I could not. The gospel is Jesus came, He lived, He suffered, He died, and He rose from the dead in the place of sinners like you and me, so that sinners like you and me could be reconciled to God. Could be accepted by God. It's done. It's finished.
Now, knowing at a heart level that I am loved and accepted by God, I love Him and out of love for Him I obey. For us, isn't this true? Obedience is not merely a duty. It is a delight.
