Joyfully obedient
Martha Olawale
“This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.” 2 John 1:6
The notion that obedience diminishes us in any way hurts us more by robbing us of the joy it brings. Unlike human rule, we are not oppressed subjects of God but children and heirs of His Kingdom. His love, shed abroad in our hearts, helps us see His commandments as warnings against things that could harm us, not the other way around. Our trust leads us to obedience, which in turn brings joy.
People who walk with God rest in His love and trust that He knows better than they do. For them, obeying God and loving righteousness means living by faith and in godly fear, which are signs of trust, caution, and reverence. Hebrews 11:7 says, “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.”
Something about saying yes to God makes the heart surge with life more than anything else in this world. Even when circumstances seem too hot to touch, the joy of the Lord helps us navigate them. Joy is a foundational result of obedience because it’s an immediate response to our hearts' willingness to say yes to God, regardless of the hurdles we face. It doesn’t mean we won’t feel doubt; it simply means we will keep trusting through it.
Furthermore, obedience in love is the fruit that bears the seed of joy, and in that lies our strength. One of the most quoted verses in the Bible is Nehemiah 8:10, which says, “The joy of the Lord is your strength.” It’s easy to zero in on that line as a motivational statement, but it came after the reading of God’s laws to the Israelites. It takes obedience to enjoy the joy.
The sequence of actions matters. When we see godly cautions as divine, it changes how we receive them. For Noah, the divine warning came before godly fear, leading to an assignment that saved humanity. His faith in God fueled his obedience, and his obedience, in turn, brought the joy of being an heir of righteousness.
There are blessings in obedience, and we can’t walk in joy without first walking in obedience. The joy from God’s commandments is a spring that never runs dry. This is because righteousness leads to peace, and peace to joy (Romans 14:17). Walking in God’s commandments is walking in His love, and that walk guarantees His joy, which surpasses all understanding (Philippians 4:7).
