Complete Obedience from Our Heart
We are saved from our sins when we put our trust in Jesus as our Lord and Savior. We ae saved by grace through faith. Salvation is the gift of God. It doesn't come by works, but by faith. When God sees that we have trusted Jesus with all our heart, He freely forgives our sins. We could never earn our salvation, and we don't deserve it, but God is gracious because of His great love. After we are saved, we are to continue in that same kind of faith, trusting God with all our heart.
King Jehu carried out God's will by doing just what God told him to do. God was pleased with his faithful obedience. (II Kings 10:31) However, after that Jehu did not obey the Law of the Lord with all his heart. He refused to turn from the sins that Jeroboam had led Israel to commit. This led to him missing God's blessings. We all can learn from Jehu's life.
We can really be saved and have eternal life, but not be experiencing God's blessings the way we should experience them. This happens when we have a heart problem. We must make sure that we love the Lord with "all our heart, all our soul, and all our mind." That is what Jesus said was the great commandment. (Matthew 22:37) When we love the Lord fully, we will obey His commands completely. The only motivation that is powerful enough to get us to obey fully and joyfully is love. Let's all make sure, we are loving Jesus with all our heart.
The other problem is when the Spirit convicts us of a sin, and we refuse to turn from that sin, the way Jehu refused to turn from the sins of Jeroboam. When we know what God wants us to do, and we refuse to do it. We are not living by faith. In fact, we are living in unbelief and rebellion. We must not grieve the Spirit by failing to listen to Him and repent of every sin He shows us. If we will listen and turn, God will cleanse us, and we will enjoy His blessings. (I John 1:9) I pray all of us will love God with all our heart and never fail to turn from any sin He shows us.
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Tomorrow, I intend to read II Kings 13-15.