The Motive Behind Our Obedience

The Motive Behind Our Obedience                                October 18, 2026

An investment counselor started her own business and realized she needed an attorney on staff.  As she began interviewing applicants, she looked across the desk at one promising young lawyer and said, “In a business like this, personal integrity is absolutely essential.  Our clients must be able to trust us completely.”  Then she leaned forward and asked, “Mr. Peterson, are you an honest lawyer?”

The young man smiled confidently.  “Honest?  Let me tell you about my honesty.  My father loaned me $15,000 to pay for my legal education, and I paid every penny as soon as I tried my first case.”

“That’s impressive,” she replied.  “What kind of case was it?”

The lawyer shifted uncomfortably in his chair before admitting, “He sued me for the money.”

We recognize the difference between doing the right thing because we want to and doing it because we have no alternative.

That distinction is significant.  God has always been concerned not only with our actions but also the motives behind them.  Two people may perform the same act of obedience, but one does so out of love while the other does so out of obligation.  Outwardly they look the same, but inwardly they are worlds apart.

This often happens when young people leave home for college or begin their careers.  Many faithfully attended worship services throughout their childhood because Mom and Dad expected it.  Then they move away and, for the first time, no one is checking to see whether they get up on Sunday morning.  That moment reveals what was really driving them all along.  Were they serving God because they loved Him, or simply because they had no choice?

It’s not just a challenge for young adults.  All of us face moments when no one else is watching.  We can pray because we delight in talking to God, or because we feel guilty if we don’t.  We can give generously because we love God’s work, or because we think we have to.  We can read Scripture as a joyful privilege or as a burdensome chore.

David gives us a beautiful picture of the heart God desires.  He didn’t merely obey God’s commands; he delighted in them.  He wrote, “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure … I love Your law … My souls keeps Your testimonies and I love them exceedingly … Let Your hand become my help, for I have chosen Your precepts.  I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight” (Psalms 119:162, 163, 167, 173-174).

Notice the words that David uses: rejoice, love, chosen, long, delight.  His obedience flowed from his love for God, not coercion.

The greatest text of our character is not what we do when we are forced to obey, but what we choose to do when we are given the choice.  May our obedience always spring from grateful hearts that genuinely love the God who first loved us.                                       By Alan Smith