The Choice is Yours December 12, 2014

⁸ I delight to do your will, O my God;  Psalm 40:8 ESV

³² I will run in the way of your commandments
    when you enlarge my heart!  Psalm 119:32 ESV

³⁵ Lead me in the path of your commandments,
    for I delight in it. Psalm 119:35 ESV

I enjoy taking photographs.  I look forward to game night with family and friends.  I have a fondness for travel.  But do I delight in doing God's will?  Do I run to be obedient to God?

I would like to answer those questions in the affirmative, but all to often, while perhaps not negative, I am neutral.  Too many times my obedience is out of a sense of duty and obligation.  On rare occasion I am obedient because I want to avoid possible heavenly reprecussions.

Would God prefer a grousing, but obedient child over a joyful reprobate?  Me thinks so.  But what He truly desires is a joyful path follower.  

Why is a positive attitude of obedience so important?

1.  It is what God prefers and pleases Him.  Think of this in terms of your parenting.  If a child complies, but lets you know he really would rather not, it does not lift your heart as a parent.  It does not strengthen the relationship.   There is "no joy in Mudville".

2.  It affects those around us.  We are ambassadors of Christ.  We are the Jesus this world sees.  If our countenance is dour and our attitude sour, we will not a winsome witness for our Lord and Savior.  Who would want to know more about a Father whose children are unhappy all the time?

3.  If our attitude of obedience is one of joy, future obedience becomes easier.  We repeat the things we enjoy and avoid those which we do not.  

At the end of the day we have three options:  disobedience, grumpy obedience, or joyful obedience.  Since disobedience is not a choice most of us would consciously make, that leaves surly obedience or cheerful obedience.  The choice seems like a no-brainer to me.