Trust and Obey

“If you love me, keep my commands.” — John 14:15 As I’ve been reflecting on the Ten Commandments, an old gospel song keeps running through my mind: “Trust and Obey.” This simple hymn expresses the bedrock faith and action of seeking to live for the Lord. By trusting God and, through his strength, turning to him for support each day, we find joy in the new life we are promised forever in Christ.The Ten Commandments reveal to us and convict us of our sin, our deeply ingrained failure and inability to love God and our neighbors as we are called to do. But through the gracious cleansing and renewing of our hearts, the Holy Spirit sets us on a new path of obedience. And on this new path, God’s commands become a guide for gratefully living in obedience to God.Though we continue to struggle with sin in this life, God still calls us daily to trust him and obey him. The Ten Commandments and other helpful summaries of God’s law—Micah 6:8; Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5:22-25; Ephesians 2:8-10; and more—are faithful guides along the way.When we trust and obey the Lord, as the song puts it, we can expect to be “happy in Jesus.” Actually, a clearer description is that we can be joyful through the inner contentment and wonder grounded in God’s amazing grace and love for us in the Savior, Jesus Christ.In what ways can you share the joy of new life in Christ with others today? Help us, Lord God, to walk in the light of your Word, trusting and obeying you in all things, so that our lives overflow with your joy. Amen.