OPENING THOUGHT
A man brought his son to a piece of land and said, “I'll give you this farm if you will build a house and barn on it and dig a well. I want the house over there, the barn built here, and the well out beyond the barn.”
The son eagerly began to work. He built the house and barn where his father had indicated, but he decided it would be more convenient to dig the well between the house and barn, so he changed the location.
In time, the father came to inspect the work. The son pointed out how he'd done such a good job, but he was shocked when the father said, “I'm sorry, I won't be able to give you the farm. You didn't do what I asked.” The son insisted that he had, since he'd built both the house and barn where the father indicated. All he had changed was the well. “No,” the father said. “You didn’t do what I wanted; you did what you wanted. You built the house there because you wanted it there, and the same way with the barn. It just happened that I selected the places you wanted. The reason I know that is because when it came to the well, and it wasn't where you wanted it, you changed it.”
“For this is the love of God,” John says, “that we keep his commandments.” That means obeying God even when we don’t understand what he’s asking. But John continues, “And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). When we faithfully follow all God has commanded, leaving nothing out, then we have shown that we truly love him.
EXPLORING GOD’S WORD
Deuteronomy 10:12-13
List the five requirements Moses gave from the Lord.
What are God’s “statutes” for, according to Moses?
Matthew 7:24-27
What are ways we merely “hear” Jesus’ words without doing them?
How is obedience like building a house on a rock?
John 14:15, 21-24
How are love and obedience connected?
Can someone love God without obeying him?
James 1:22-25
How does “hearing only” lead to self-deceit?
What do you think of James’ illustration about the man who looks at his reflection in the mirror, goes away, and immediately forgets his image? How is that like “hearing only”?
How does James describe the “doer” of the law?
How does obedience bless the one who does the law?
2 Timothy 3:16-17
How does the claim that Scripture is “breathed out by God” affect the way you view obedience?
What are the four profitable uses of Scripture given by Paul?
Must we obey commandments found outside the Bible to please God? Does the Bible leave anything out?
How to Hear and Do What the Bible Says
Read a passage, then ask these questions:
What does God say?
What does this reveal about me?
What am I tempted to resist?
What would obedience look like this week?
