The words “obedience” and “submission” are a constant reminder of our indwelling sin. But whether we like them or not, they get to the heart of our problem of living a holy life.
Jesus said, “If you love Me you will obey Me.” It is our responsibility to obey Him. We cannot obey Him unless we submit to His sovereignty. There can be no holiness in our lives if we do not obey Him. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and he who loves Me shall be loved by My Father, and I will love him, and will disclose Myself to him,” said Jesus in John 14:21.
Obedience is the road to holiness. Over the years we have developed habitual patterns of disobedience. We have patterns of sin in our lives. Every time we sin we make it easier to keep on sinning. We reinforce these patterns, or habits, until we make a commitment to make a new habit not to sin. Have you made it your aim, goal, passion, not to sin? Have you made it a commitment to live a holy life?
The only way to break old habits is to make a commitment to start forming new ones. God cannot do that for us. It is our responsibility. In Romans 8:13 the apostle Paul brought out the contrast between a habitually dominated pattern of living according to the flesh, and an obligation to habitually, under the power of the Holy Spirit, be “putting to death the deeds of the body.”
The responsibility of the Christian is to yield to and cooperate with the Holy Spirit in putting to death or destroying the strength and vitality of sin as it tries to reign in our bodies. The only way we can put to death sin in our lives is by submission to the presence of the Holy Spirit inside us. It is our responsibility to obey Him. The Spirit alone is sufficient and He is the One who gives life and strength to our efforts.
How do we break these old habits of sin? How do we destroy the powerful grip of sin?
Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). It is in the heart that the changes must take place.
That is where the commitment to an obedient life must begin.
If I love the Lord God I will obey Him.
Commit every day to the Lord. Begin your day with a renewed commitment to live God’s kind of life. “Lord, I want to please You today in everything I do. I give You this day, come and live Your life in and through me.”
Keep your heart sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
Spend some time in God’s Word so you will know what God’s will is for the Christian.
Living the Christian life will not come automatically. It is your responsibility to love and obey your Master.
