In a sense, it would be better to declare ourselves as opponents of God than to claim friendship and then betray Him by our way of life. As unfortunate as it would be to live in open defiance of God, at least there is some consistency in such a life.
Just when we begin to demonstrate some diligence in our spiritual lives and to take some long-overdue steps in the direction of obedience, our enemy is often able to rob us of our progress by tempting us to become proud of our progress!
We often seek God’s favor by offering Him nothing more than the outward actions of worship. But what God is more interested in is our hearts, and if our hearts are not truly given to Him in godly sorrow, then nothing else will be acceptable.
God is not pleased by the mere mechanical performance of acts of worship. There must be consistency between our worship and our character. If we disregard God in our hearts so that our daily lives are disobedient, our worship is unacceptable.
God’s kingdom is the realm of His rule, a spiritual domain within hearts surrendered to His will. Jesus taught us to pray for God’s kingdom to come on earth, a call for each of us to live in alignment with His divine sovereignty.
Our hearts are happiest when we want the same things that God wants and when those things are granted to us by His grace. To know that our deeds have been harmonized with our Father’s will is a wonderfully refreshing feeling.
Although there is some difficulty in choosing the life that God offers, it is no difficulty at all compared to what is encountered on the path to death. And choosing life over death is also easier than living in the limbo of not deciding.
It is the justice of God that makes His mercy meaningful. Just as our love for God would mean little if we were robots who had no choice but to love Him, God’s mercy toward us would be meaningless if punishment were an impossibility.
The goal of God’s commandment is love: a love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. True faith seeks God and results in love, marking us as disciples. Without love, our spiritual journey risks missing the point entirely.
Physical, mental, and emotional growth may be important, but it’s even more important to grow in the spiritual dimension of our nature. We need — every day — to be moving away from the mortality of the body and toward the immortality of the spirit.