I greet you beloved of God. May truth, peace, love, and grace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of our Lord and saviour Christ.
YOUR LOVE FOR GOD IS NOT JUST PERFECTED IN THE ACT OF OBEDIENCE ITSELF; IT IS PERFECTED IN THE REASON FOR THE OBEDIENCE.
GOD IS MORE INTERESTED IN OUR LOVE FOR HIM AND OUR MOTIVE TOWARDS OUR OBEDIENCE THAN THE ACT ITSELF.
LOM is Love, Obedience, and Motive.
The act of obedience itself is a gross proof or estimate of your love for God but not the true proof or estimate of your love for Him. The act of obedience itself is like an attractive body with a superb outward anatomy(structure) with the possibility of a terminal disease inside- it is just a matter of time, it will be exposed. Time reveals. No wonder the bible says that on that day our works would be tested with fire, some will burn, and some will not burn. The ones that will not burn are those that were done with the "RIGHT LOM."
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Your Love for God is not just perfected in the act of obedience itself; it is perfected in the reason for the obedience. This is a very big lesson for you to learn that will guarantee your reward in this life both now and in the world to come. It is very important for you to know this because, we can obey God under different circumstances and for different reasons.
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Many of us have practiced what i call " filthy obedience " before God. Know this, when once your obedience becomes filthy before God, you are on your own. You labour in vain. The world may applaud you for a work well done, your followers may appreciate you, your friends may wish to be like you, but God is irritated and disgusted. When once that happens, be rest assured that you are leaving with no reward.
Let me cite two examples of a filthy obedience amongst many. After citing the examples, i want you to engage in retrospection concerning yourself and consider this matter.
first, assuming God tells you to go and give someone you don't like money. You feel very sad and angry at the same time for God telling you to do that but do not have a choice than to obey, maybe because, you feel there is something at stake to loose for disobedience, example, your financial prowess, or a contract. You eventually obey and give the person the money. You obeyed not because you loved God, but because you feel you have something at stake to loose. That is a filthy obedience and as far as God is concerned, you have done nothing. Yes, God will accomplish His purpose in the life of the other person, but you yourself, you are left unrewarded. You see how we cheat ourselves.
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What makes your work acceptable before God is because you did it in love. It is love that will not allow fire to burn your works on that day when it is being tried. Love will serve as a covering or shield for your works. If the fire must burn your works, then it has to burn love first. It can't because, LOVE IS INDESTRUCTIBLE. It never fails(1 Corinthians 13:8):
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
Another one is, probably you feel like if you don't do a particular thing that God has told you to do that you will die, and this propels you to obey. Let me tell you my friend, every act of obedience you carry out not because you genuinely love God, want to see that lovely smile on His face, and to make Him happy irrespective of the circumstances, you are wasting your precious time and there is no reward for you. Remember, perfect love casteth out fear(1 John 4:18):
There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.
God is more interested in our love for Him and our motive towards our obedience than the act itself.