Our love for God will automatically elicit obedience to Him.
If you love someone, you naturally want to do anything and
everything you can to please that special person. If you've ever
been in love, then you'll recognize this principle immediately.
In a genuine romance, the tendency is to bend over backwards to
please one's beloved, even to the point of fanaticism.
It's the same way in our relationship with God. It is our
love for Him that motivates us to do whatever we possibly can to
please Him. We may not understand everything He asks of us, but
we will obey Him whether or not we comprehend, because we love
Him so passionately. Our desire not to offend Him is a direct
result of the deep longing that we have within ourselves to
please the One whom we love so deeply.
The book of Revelation has tremendous appeal because of its
vivid descriptions of the adoration and worship of our Lord. Do
you remember the description of His power and majesty in the
fourth chapter, and how the four living creatures say day and
night, without ceasing, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the
Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come"? And as they
give glory and honor and thanks to Him, the twenty-four elders
fall down before Him and worship Him, casting their crowns before
His throne, saying, "Worthy art Thou, our Lord and our God, to
receive glory and honor and power; for Thou didst create all
things, and because of Thy will they existed, and were created."
Because of passages of this kind, the book of Revelation is
one of my two favorite books of the New Testament. In chapter
five, John describes the myriads of angels surrounding the
throne, who say with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor
and glory and blessing." And then, every created thing resounds
with these words: "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the
Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and
ever."
The overwhelming impression you get from these passages is
that God is indeed more than worthy of our heartfelt love,
adoration, and passion for Him who has created and redeemed us,
and Who has loved us with an exceedingly great passion. How
could we ever come close to thanking him properly for His
tremendous love for us, manifested in such countless ways, many
of which we are not even fully aware?
It is this thankfulness and adoration of the author of our
lives and happiness that motivates us to seek to do whatever He
would require of us, and to be whatever He wants us to be,
regardless of the cost. If he wants us to be kind to our
enemies, then we desire more than anything to love those who hate
us, and to show compassion to those who would otherwise receive
retaliation.
Sometimes, though, we need to remind ourselves of how much
we actually do love the Lord, and how deeply thankful to Him we
really are. When we become oblivious to these passions, which
often get buried deeply within us as we go about our daily lives,
then we become vulnerable to disobedience. This usually happens
gradually and imperceptibly, until we suddenly realize that we
are actually beginning to displease the Lord. Then it begins to
grieve us that we have offended the One who cares for us so
intimately and loves us so passionately, and we are brought to
repentance. This can come about as a result of the fact that we
are once again more closely in touch with our passion for Him.
How important it is that we arouse ourselves and reignite
our love for Him. We should often remind ourselves and one
another of our passionate love for the Lord, so that we will not
find ourselves in the midst of disobedience; or so that, if we
are caught in weakness, we will not yet have gone very far down
any paths that would bring Him displeasure.
The result of being in love is that you tend to imitate the
one that you love. If you are really crazy about somebody, you
will have trouble keeping your mind on anyone else, or on any
other thing. And the more you think about that person, the more
you will tend to become like him or her, even if this happens
unconsciously.
The more fervent our love for the Lord, the more likely it
will be that our minds will be on Him continually, and the more
quickly we will begin to take on His characteristics. Because we
admire purity in Him, we will want to be pure. Because we behold
compassion in Him, we will be compassionate. As we dwell upon
his faithfulness and integrity, we, also, will become faithful
people of integrity. Because He humbled Himself, we will want
more than anything else to humble ourselves.
Our desire to please Him will be so powerful that even our
strongest temptations will lose their potency. The enticements
of the enemy will find nothing within us to attract us. In fact,
as we are renewed and strengthened in our adoration, worship, and
love for Him, we will have trouble keeping our minds on anyone or
anything else. Everyday things will begin to pale in their
significance, even things that were once precious to us. They
will simply no longer have the hold upon us that they once had,
when God begins to reveal to us His glory and His majesty. Who
or what can possibly have the slightest significance in
comparison to the One who created everything, who knows our every
thought and concern, who has every person and every set of
circumstances under His complete control, and who has such a
wonderful plan for those who truly love Him?
As we worship in sincerity and truth, He begins, more fully,
to reveal His character to us. What we may have known of Him
intellectually is suddenly brought home to us vividly and
irresistibly on an emotional level. As He reveals to us the
depth of His trustworthiness, our innermost fears are dissipated,
just as the morning fog evaporates when exposed to the warm
sunlight. As He reminds us of His watchful care over every
detail of our lives, we no longer balk when He asks us to walk in
obedience, for we begin to realize that He is with us in all
circumstances, and that as we obey Him, nothing can bring us
permanent harm of any kind.
When He is magnified in our hearts and minds, the worries of
life are proportionately minimized. The more deeply we glorify
Him in adoration and worship, the more of Himself He reveals to
us, thereby releasing us from bondage to fear, hatred, self-
centeredness, and hypocrisy.
We need not only call upon the Lord when we find ourselves
in serious trouble. What rich lives we will begin to lead as we
remember to stir ourselves up continually by way of reminder, day
and night! What tremendous spiritual resources are available to
us because the veil has been rent by Jesus Christ, granting us
continual access, that we might commune with Him every minute of
every day!
Worship from the heart provides us with the key to power and
enjoyment in the Lord. Many people are on a quest for spiritual
power, and are thirsty for an ability to enjoy Him fully. God
manifests His power and His presence through sincere worship.
Where there are those who worship Him in Spirit and in truth,
there you will see people who enjoy His presence, and who have
discovered what it means to overcome, laying down their lives for
Him, even unto death.
Those who have given themselves as living sacrifices are the
ones who become vehicles for His presence and His power. He is
well pleased with the sacrifice of true obedience, and the fire
of the Holy Spirit comes down from heaven to ignite that
sacrifice, just as fire came down from heaven in I Kings 18:38 to
signify that Elijah's burnt offering was well pleasing to Him.
The fire consumed Elijah's offering. So, also, will the
baptism of fire consume the one who is wholly committed to God,
purifying him or her through trials ordained of God until nothing
that is of flesh remains. "Flesh," in this context, and as it is
frequently used in the New Testament, refers, not to the human
body, but to that component in a person's makeup which is the
willing instrument of sin.
True worship engenders the wholehearted commitment to God
that brings God's presence. But along with His presence comes
the purifying fire that cleanses us from improper thoughts,
desires, intentions, and motivations. With His presence comes
His fire. The two are inseparable. We cannot expect God to
dwell with us, and in us, if we insist upon remaining impure. It
is only as we submit to Him, continually allowing ourselves to be
cleansed of our willfulness and unrighteousness, that He will
continue to abide in us.
This purification process usually, but not necessarily
always, involves suffering. However, our suffering can be
significantly reduced if we are willing subjects. If we readily
and joyfully submit ourselves to God's dealings, our suffering
may well be minimal.
Regardless of whatever suffering may be necessary for our
purification, if we continue to focus upon the Lord, whom we love
and adore with all of our hearts, then the afflictions of the
present age will rapidly fade in significance in comparison to
the glory and presence of God that will yet be revealed in us
when He supernaturally makes Himself fully manifest through us,
the collective body of Christ, as we enter the age to come.
Richard M. Riss
Calvary Chapel, Windsor, NJ, November 1, 1992