The Motivation To Obey Jesus
I’ll never forget the first time a police officer pulled me over.
I was barely sixteen, had just gotten my license, and was driving a diesel Volkswagen Rabbit, which was so slow it should have been named a Volkswagen Turtle. I never thought I was at risk of going over the speed limit.
But that particular day, I was just trying to arrive on time for my shift at a grocery store where I worked when all of a sudden, I looked behind me and saw those red lights flashing. Once I pulled over, the officer approached my car and asked for my license and registration. I knew my license but wasn’t sure what the registration looked like. My trembling hand grabbed a bunch of papers stuffed in the dash compartment, hoping it was somewhere.
He sorted through them, found what he needed, and then asked me a question I’ll never forget: “Do you know why I pulled you over?”
In all sincerity, I responded with, “No, but I’m sorry for whatever I did.”
I found out that I was going 52 mph in a 35 mph speed limit.
I’m not sure why, but he gave me a written warning that showed me how many points and how much the fine would have been. I thanked him and drove off, staying under 35 mph for the rest of my drive to work.
Thinking back to that moment, I learned something about earthly laws and the human condition (here’s how believers can keep the unity in the Holy Spirit).
Laws are put in place to keep order.
Humans must obey the laws or face the consequences.
So, obedience to laws is generally motivated by fear of punishment.
Jesus taught something different about obedience to his commands.
He said to his disciples, “If you love me, obey my commandments” (John 14:15).
At first glance, it sounds like Jesus is saying prove that you love him by obeying, which doesn’t seem like the essence of love. However, he’s getting at the motivation for obedience.
Loving him is the motivation.
For followers of Jesus, obedience to his instructions is a choice, just like love. The difference is that the motivation for obeying his instructions is because we love him (Here are five traits of a growing follower of Jesus).
When I reflect on how much Jesus loves me and how he demonstrated it by going to the cross out of obedience to the Father so that I could experience a new life in him, my response is to love him with everything. Love frames my understanding of the instructions Jesus gave his followers because I choose to be under the authority of his lordship.
Obedience is a choice to accept Jesus’ authority, trusting that his instructions are for our good.
In other words, we obey him because we love.
Then Jesus said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth” (John 14:16-17).
Jesus gave us a way to live as his followers and taught us how to stay faithful to his teachings. This is different from the world we live in. The world is looking to live its own truth and will not see or understand it because they don’t recognize the Holy Spirit.
If you love Jesus, you will accept his authority in your life.
If you accept his authority, you will obey his instructions.
But you’re not alone.
And you don’t have to figure this out by yourself.
He promises that the gift of the Holy Spirit will be with you and lead you into all truth.