Compelling Love

David rejoices in Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”

David knew and walked with the Messiah, the Son of God, who was yet to be born on earth. This is seen in Psalm 110 where he declares, “The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’”

Just before Jesus, Yeshua, laid down his life as an atonement for the sins of His people, he explained he was doing this out of love, and that he would be risen from the dead:

John 10 (Complete Jewish Bible)
11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives his life for the sheep. ”

17 “This is why the Father loves me: because I lay down my life — in order to take it up again! 18 No one takes it away from me; on the contrary, I lay it down of my own free will. I have the power to lay it down, and I have the power to take it up again. This is what my Father commanded me to do.”

Those who value this supreme sacrifice, and truly receive Jesus Christ as Lord, obey his commands out of love. He describes this intimate and dynamic relationship in John 14:

John 14 (NKJV)
15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.

21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

Knowing we are loved, we freely choose to revere God and obey Christ’s commands out of love. Obedience is our only right response to this compelling love, as Paul explains:

2 Corinthians 5 (NKJV)
14 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; 15 and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Those who receive and walk with Jesus as Lord honor the Father who sent him. We are commissioned to live with the mindset of humility that he exemplified, being doers of the word and not hearers only.

Phil. 2 (NKJV)
5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. 9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, 11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 7 (NKJV)
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”

James 1 (NIV)
Doers of the Word —Not Hearers Only
21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.
22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

For those walking with Jesus as Lord, all our fountains and springs (sources of life and joy) are in him, in a loving communion that grows ever deeper.

Psalm 87:7, New International Version (NIV):
As they make music they will sing, “All my fountains are in you.”

Psalm 87:7, Amplified Bible (AMP):
The singers as well as the players on instruments shall say, All my springs (my sources of life and joy) are in you.

Psalm 42 (NKJV)
7 Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls;
All Your waves and billows have gone over me.

The Lord whom we love and obey is the soon coming King whose salvation will be known among all nations, and all the peoples will praise him!

Psalm 67 (NKJV)
1 God be merciful to us and bless us,
And cause His face to shine upon us, Selah
2 That Your way may be known on earth,
Your salvation among all nations.
3 Let the peoples praise You, O God;
Let all the peoples praise You.
4 Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!
For You shall judge the people righteously,
And govern the nations on earth. Selah

David Krause, dhkrause@neteze.com, 8/19/2012