Many believers will agree with this title but how often we live like it's not true, letting our obedience level become the mother of all motives in the Christian life. But it's not.

As a child I often obeyed my parents, hating them while I did what they said. The greatest commandment is not to obey God but to love God. Granted, love is demonstrated by obedience, but love is higher than obedience, for obedience from the heart (Rom 6:17) is what God is looking for. The Pharisees and many Jews obeyed God but not from the heart and Jesus' harshest rebukes were reserved for those who pretended love but did not truly love (Mat 15:8). 

God wants your heart, your affections, your delight, your whole being to be so consumed with His praise, His glory, His beauty, even His presence that makes one tremble and fall down before Him in worship, that even the idea of obeying God from the outside instead of from the inside is hideous to you. 

And when you choose to love God with everything in you, what is the end result? Worship! Without a renter for our home I was tempted at first to worry, but God is teaching me to trust Him. I have never felt more rested in Him in all my life, yet never been more financially insecure.

Then I prayed, "God bring us a renter!" but even that felt silly, knowing that God has already promised to provide (Phil 4:19). It's good and Jesus even commanded us to pray for our needs (Mat 6:11), but how often I pray for them because I am doubting His faithfulness to deliver instead of because He will. But God doesn't just own the cattle on a thousand hills. He owns the hills too!

So then I started praying, "God I know that you will provide, all I ask is that you will amaze me in the way that you do." I look forward to blogging with the story on how this happens.