OBEDIENCE

“But since my servant Caleb has a different spirit and has remained loyal to me, I will bring him into the land where he has gone, and his descendants will inherit it.”

-Numbers 14:24

In John 14:15, Jesus said, “If you love me, you will τηρέω my commands.” In v.21 He said, “The one who has my commands and τηρέω them is the one who loves me…” In v.23 The LORD said, “If anyone loves me, he will τηρέω my word.” Then then in v.24 The Lamb of God said, “The one who doesn’t love me will not τηρέω my words…”

In the original Greek the root word τηρέω is used in each instance. The idea of τηρέω encompasses multiple English words, including “obey,” “treasure,” “guard,” and “keep.” Let’s look at “obey.”

The essence of the word here is the sense that one seeks to please Christ Jesus through their obedience to His commands. In Hebrew the name “Caleb” means “dog.” Dogs are known as man’s best friend. They are hardwired to please. This passage seems to communicate that God’s desire for us is to express our faithful love for Him in obeying His commands. Caleb (along with Joshua) were the only two men willing to obey God and enter into the Promised Land… the rest wandered in the wilderness until they died…

In Matthew’s Gospel account Jesus tells a story of a faithful servant. It concludes with, “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master!’”

If the idea of being a “Caleb” is offensive to you, it’s likely The Holy Spirit is exposing the sin of pride in your life. Proverbs 16:5 states, “The Lord detests all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished.”

As born of The Spirit, regenerate, maturing, Word-washed saints, Scripture reveals that we will CRAVE obedience to His commands… in fact we will treasure them, guard them, and keep them because we know it pleases our Master.

King Jesus calls that worship and said those are the kind of worshipers His Father desires… worshipers in spirit and in truth!

Are you setting out today to glorify Christ Jesus through your obedience to His commands? He said THOSE are the people who truly love Him… and that everyone else falls into the category “not” loving Him… they will never enter His rest… the everlasting Promised Land… instead, they will die in the wilderness of their sins.

Blessings & love,

-Kevin 🙏🏻🕊️