It would be great to imagine that we all start out from birth or a very young age following and obeying Yahweh. This is simply not how it works. We all start out focused on self and not on God, even as infants. They know to call for their own needs or wants instinctively, but have to learn to consider those of others or of God.
Often even as we get older or into our adult years, many continue to make mistakes and walk in a way that is not pleasing to the LORD… or at least not fully pleasing. There is good news. It is not how we start that matters most, but rather how we finish.
We should all seek to repent of our wicked ways and seek to live out the will of the Father. That will typically cause us to change a lot in our lives, even if we went to church all our lives but did not have a close relationship with Him. The truth is that all of us sin and all of us can continue to seek a closer relationship with Him and seek to walk more and more in His ways rather than our own or the ways of men. So long as we are alive, it is not too late.
Parable of Two Sons
28“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ 29“And he answered, ‘I will not’; but afterward he regretted it and went. 30“The man came to the second and said the same thing; and he answered, ‘I will, sir’; but he did not go. 31“Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you. 32“For John came to you in the way of righteousness and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; and you, seeing this, did not even feel remorse afterward so as to believe him.
Really let the parable sink in. It is not saying that we love Him that matters, but rather actually loving Him which is shown by obeying His commandments (more than just His top 10, but all which He commands in the scriptures) and living His ways (see how He lived while dwelling among us and follow His example documented in scripture).
15“If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Keep in mind, if our heart is toward Him and we are genuinely seeking Him, we need not be perfect. David was called a man after God’s own heart and he had many serious sins in his path. His heart for God was often shown best by how he repented when he did wrong and sought forgiveness rather than stubbornly making excuses that he was not wrong.
I invite you to pray with me:
Father, please help me to say yes to you right away and then obey with my actions. When I fall short of this standard, help me to turn from my wicked ways and repent as your servant David did. Help me to truly have a heart for you, a heart to obey in actions rather than simply words. Help me to have a realistic view of my walk with you and not rationalize or blind myself to my sins and mistakes. Help me to always want to draw nearer to you and walk more and more in your ways. Thank you for your grace and mercy that lead to forgiveness for those who accept Christ as Lord and Messiah.
Shalom.
Devotion by John in service to Christ
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