The call to Christ is the call to obedience. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once said, “Only those who obey can believe, and only those who believe can obey.” So many people today have the wrong opinion of living a life of obedience. Obedience is not a penalty levied on faith. It is the strength of faith. The commands of God are all designed to make us happier than we can be without them. God's commandments are not oppressive. They are blessings. Scripture points out that the more we obey God, the more real God becomes to us and the more our faith grows. The more we love God, the more we become like Him in our characteristics. Obedience to God is our loving response to His gifts of life and love. We obey God out of a response to what He did for us. To obey God is to love God. Jesus said it this way, “if you love me, you will obey what I command” (John 14:15). Let us reflect on our lives and walk with Him to see if there are areas of our lives that can use a little more obedience and then make adjustments. If we love Jesus, we will want to obey Him! –John 14:21