We follow rules for a lot of different reasons every day. We follow some rules because they align with what we feel is right. We don’t kill or steal, for example, because we know this is just wrong. We follow traffic laws for own safety, and for those around us.

Fear can also motivate us to follow the rules. We obey our boss to keep the paychecks coming, and honor legal contracts so we don’t face the repercussions of going to court. And sometimes following the rules is just more convenient than having to deal with someone else being upset with us.

But sometimes we follow rules out of our love for someone else. We don’t want to let them down and we want them to be pleased with our actions. Approaching 40 years old, I still try to do what my parents would approve (usually). We honor our spouses by honoring our vows to them.

There is a certain righteous progression in these motives to stick to the rules. To be sure, doing what someone else says you should do because you love them is less selfish than simply protecting yourself from harm or jail. But I think there is one final step God wants us to take in our obedience of His Law. I don’t think God wants us to do what He says just so we don’t have to face the consequences. On the deepest level, I’m not even sure that He wants us to obey just because we love Him.

By doing what He tells us to do even when we don’t understand why, we demonstrate that we not only love Him, but that we also trust Him. He already knows whether or not we love Him. But by trusting Him, we show that we know He loves us. And that’s the message He wants us all to receive most of all!