V:4 N:132

Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
Deuteronomy 8:2

“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him.”
John 14:21

We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did.
1 John 2:3-6

It is so clear from these passages that obedience is a huge factor in knowing what is truly in our hearts. Jesus would try to make it as clear as possible, first saying it one way, then another. He was making sure that we got the message while He was here on earth. Obedience is the major way to measure and grow the love in our hearts for God. After all, it is how we know that our children love us, trust us, and respect us. Obedience is how employers know the hearts of employees, and patronizing obedience and false love are eventually revealed.

It is tragic that the concept of obedience has become OPTIONAL to Christians rather than FOUNDATIONAL. This is wrong, for the Word teaches, “This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did” (1 John 2:5-6). I love obedience and submission, and I always look for more and more ways to submit to God’s will, for it brings me such happiness.