Someone once said, “I know that we are expected to keep the Lord’s commandments, but I have a hard time wanting to. It just seems to take too much effort to be a Christian.” Sadly, I have found that a lot of people struggle with this very thought. Many of them seem to understand the concept of obedience, but their heart is simply not in it. Thus, the “heart” is the problem.
I believe the answer to this dilemma is devotion. A husband may claim to love his wife, and may even do things for her, but if he is not devoted to her he will likely do those things (if he does them at all) out of grumbling obligation. Whereas if he ardently respects, admires and cherishes her, he will greatly desire to do anything for her and more. The same is true in regard to our relationship with the Lord. God wants us to do His will because we want to not merely because we have to (Jn. 4:23-24). Through devotion do we realize that His commandments are not burdensome (1 Jn. 5:3). He said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments” (Jn. 14:15). Do you, friends?
