Living the Good Life: Living Obediently

Continuing our series Living the Good Life, we learn from Matthew 26:36-46 and John 14:12-26 about Jesus's model of and teaching about obedience. Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that He could be obedient to the Father's no matter what the cost, and before this struggle He taught His disciples that they would obey Him out of a love for Him. He taught an obedience not out of compulsion but out of the freedom that He gives His followers.

As we strive to live obediently, the example and instruction of Jesus shows us several important things about the place of obedience in living the good life. First, the litmus test for obedience is not whether we feel like it or not, as we cannot define obedience for ourselves. In addition, obedience and belief cannot be mutually exclusive. Lastly, changed affections will lead to changed behaviors, because true love will always result in faithful action. We were made to live from relationship from empowered obedience, with God giving us grace when we disobey and grace to empower us to obey, as living with a joyful obedience is what we were made for. These passages prompt the question: how is God calling you to obey?