With All Your Heart

With All Your Heart

If you love me, you will obey what I command.

John 14:15

IN WORD Why is the Christian life so hard sometimes? There are probably lots of legitimate reasons; after all, Jesus never promised that it would be easy. But one troubling reason shows up in our lives frequently: We find it hard to obey God because we don’t want to obey Him. And when we don’t want to obey Him, it’s usually because stronger desires compete against Him.

Think about that. If God were truly the deepest passion in our hearts, anything that could interrupt our relationship with Him would be horrifying to us. And yet we entertain such interruptions frequently. The reason must be some deficiency in our love. We human beings have never had much trouble following our passions. If we have trouble following God, should we conclude that God is not our passion?

It seems logical. We always lean in the direction of the heart’s desires. We often have to subdue those longings and discipline ourselves against them. But suppose those desires always pointed in God’s direction. Our leanings would naturally take us where we need to go. Righteousness would be our instinct, not our obligation. Obedience would be our desire, not our hard discipline. God would have His way with us because His way would be the one we crave.

IN DEED Does that oversimplify our struggles? Maybe. But they often, if not always, can be traced to a lack of love. We need to be reminded of our duties only when our hearts are not naturally following them. The reason we need self-discipline is because of competing desires.

That’s why the greatest commandment is to love God. Not only is this the reason for which we were created—and therefore the only means by which we can be fulfilled—it is also the key to discipleship, spiritual formation, evangelism, community, and more. A heart that loves God thoroughly is a heart that adoringly falls in line with His will and His ways. It’s a heart that naturally grows spiritually mature—and enjoys it.

Obedience to God is the most infallible evidence of sincere and supreme love for Him.

—NATHANAEL EMMONS