Daily Devotional for Sunday, July 23

Obedience Comes from the Heart

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness,” Romans 6:17, 18.

Many efforts are employed to attempt to get young children to obey. Parents use many methods from positive reinforcement for good behavior to various forms of discipline for bad behavior and it takes consistency and a whole lot of prayer. Factor in the fact that every child is unique and responds differently and it can be exhausting! However, the goal is to raise mature, responsible adults that make good choices and care about other people. The expectation is that the years of love, discipline and teaching will take root in their heart. God desires the same from us as His children.

Under the Law, the Israelites had a list of commandments from God that none could keep perfectly, except for One. Jesus came and fulfilled every facet of God’s Law to perfection and then became our sacrifice for sins, once and for all. Now, God’s people live under His amazing grace. “But now we are delivered from the law, that being dead wherein we were held; that we should serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7:6). His grace has set us at liberty from the bondage of sin, so that we may freely serve Him with our lives.

Our obedience to God should not be viewed as a list of rules to follow or a checklist of things to do each day. Our service to Him comes from a heart of love for all He has done for us. Wrong motivations can lead to bad attitudes and ultimately turning away from the Lord completely. However, a heart of obedience motivated by love and devotion to the Lord will have lasting rewards.

REFLECTION: “Blessed are they which keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart” (Psalm 119:2)

Darla Goodrum