God Smiles When We Obey Wholeheartedly

Current Teaching Series When You're Hoping for a Miracle

God Smiles When We Obey Wholeheartedly By Rick Warren — Jan 27, 2018 “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey” (Psalm 119:33-34 TLB). God smiles when we obey him wholeheartedly. That means doing whatever God asks without reservation or hesitation. You don’t procrastinate and say, “I’ll pray about it.” You do it without delay. Every parent knows that delayed obedience is really disobedience. God doesn’t owe you an explanation or reason for everything he asks you to do. Understanding can wait, but obedience can’t. Instant obedience will teach you more about God than a lifetime of Bible discussions. In fact, you will never understand some commands until you obey them first. Obedience unlocks understanding. Often we try to offer God partial obedience. We want to pick and choose the commands we obey. We make a list of the commands we like and then obey those while ignoring the ones we think are unreasonable, difficult, expensive, or unpopular. “I’ll attend church, but I won’t tithe.” “I’ll read my Bible, but I won’t forgive the person who hurt me.” Yet partial obedience is disobedience. Wholehearted obedience is done joyfully, with enthusiasm. The Bible says, “Obey him gladly” (Psalm 100:2 TLB). This is the attitude of David: “Just tell me what to do and I will do it, Lord. As long as I live I’ll wholeheartedly obey” (Psalm 119:33-34 TLB). James, writing to Christians, says God is pleased not only by what we believe, but also by what we do (see James 2:24). God’s Word is clear that you can’t earn your salvation. It comes only by grace, not your effort. But as a child of God you can bring pleasure to your heavenly Father through obedience. Any act of obedience is also an act of worship. Why is obedience pleasing to God? Because it demonstrates that you really love him. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey my commandments” (John 14:15 GNT).  PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick >> Talk It Over Why do you think God doesn’t explain some commands until after we are obedient to follow them? Think about the last time you exercised instant obedience to God. What did that choice reveal about your faith? Why do we sometimes offer God a partial obedience? Why have you tried to bargain with God in the past?

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Series Summary Session 1: When You're Running Out of Everything Session 2: When You Can't See Your Way Clearly Session 3: When You've Come Up Empty Session 4: When You Feel You're Sinking Session 5: When a Marriage Has Ended Session 6: When You're Drowing in Debt Session 7: When a Friend is Dying PLAY TODAY'S BROADCAST

Pastor Rick Warren

Enjoy today's Devotional? Listen instantly to the full radio message at Daily Hope Radio. Did someone forward this devotional to you? Subscribe to Pastor Rick Warren's Daily Devotional. This devotional is based on the current Daily Hope radio series at pastorrick.com. Rick Warren has helped people live with hope and on purpose for more than 40 years. He’s the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Southern California and author of several books, including The Purpose Driven Church and The Purpose Driven Life, which has been translated into 137 languages and sold more than 50 million copies in all formats. He created the PEACE Plan (plant churches of reconciliation, equip servant leaders, assist the poor, care for the sick, educate the next generation), which is used by churches in 196 countries. His radio teaching and daily devotional, Daily Hope, is offered around the world. This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission. You can unsubscribe at any time by changing your e-mail preferences. Update your preferences  |  Unsubscribe