Passionate Obedience - Jesus

Jesus explained: “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God, who sent me, and from finishing his work.”

John 4:34

Once there was a dog so obedient to his master that rather than disobey a command to stay in his doghouse, he died as a grass fire swept through the backyard, burning the doghouse down around him.

Willingness to obey God is one thing, but you enter a new level of walking with God when you develop a passion for obedience. That kind of passion makes a life of faith exciting, for God loves to reward and bless it.

Jesus demonstrated that kind of passion every day of his life on earth. He told his disciples, “My nourishment comes from doing the will of God.” In other words, Jesus lived to obey his heavenly Father.

Though Jesus left paradise to take the form of a man and walk the earth, he remained passionately and single-mindedly devoted to accomplishing his Father’s will. Although he knew that such uncompromising obedience would take him to an excruciating death on the cross, nothing could stand in the way of his accomplishing that goal.

Jesus knew that the smallest deviation from what God had planned would defeat his program for saving humankind. That plan was never in jeopardy, for Jesus had a passion to obey everything his Father directed.

Jesus set you the perfect example of passionate obedience to the Father’s will. What do you feel most passionate about today? Are you willing to obey God, or do you feel eager to do so? When you eagerly give your full obedience to God, you put yourself in a position to receive his very best—for yourself and your family.