Proverbs 23:17-18

Devotional Thoughts

By David Wilkerson

Love, fear, obedience — when it comes to walking with God, they are inseparable because you cannot practice one without the other two.

• • FEAR – “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil” (Proverbs 8:13).

• • LOVE – “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me” (John 14:21).

• • OBEDIENCE – “This is love, that we walk according to His commandments” (2 John 6).

You cannot love God without having the fear of God in you; you cannot love him without obeying his Word. Some teach that only the fear of God provokes believers to flee sin, while others teach that the only proper motivation against sin is love. Loving him means obeying his every command, but what produces a consistent, lasting obedience? Godly, loving obedience springs from one source: the fear of the living God. Obedience birthed by a true and pious fear of God is love perfected.

If you truly have the fear of God in you, then you will obey his every word. You obtain the fear of God just as Israel did: you learn it! The Lord is ready to teach his fear to all who desire it: “Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord” (Psalm 34:11). Our loving Father teaches us the fear of him through his Word.

Jesus promised incredible blessings to all who obey him. “And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). This is one of the most powerful promises in the Word of God! The Father has a special love in his heart for those who walk in obedience to his Son.

Begin to walk fully in obedience to all you know of his commands and you will be perfected in your love for Jesus!