📖 "If you love Me, keep My commandments."
John 14:15
Today I saw an image that stirres up a deep and weighty question — one that’s been wrestled with since Eden itself. Let’s sit with it gently, letting the truth of Scripture and the whisper of Holy Spirit lead us into clarity, not condemnation.
💭 The image says:
"If Lucifer was cast out in heaven because of his disobedience, and Adam was cast out of Eden because of his disobedience, then as a Christian, what makes you think you can enter heaven living in disobedience?"
🕊️ My response:
JESUS is my salvation — and obedience is the fruit of my salvation, not the price I pay for it.
You see, the difference between Lucifer, Adam, and a redeemed believer is the Cross. Lucifer rebelled out of pride. Adam sinned out of deception. Both turned away from God. But as followers of Christ, we have been born again into a new covenant of grace.
📖 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." — Ephesians 2:8–9 (NKJV)
Does that mean obedience doesn’t matter? 🤔 Absolutely not. It matters deeply — not as a way to earn Heaven, but as evidence that Heaven has already made its home in us.
🪶 Think of it like this:
Obedience is not the ticket to salvation — Jesus is.
Obedience is the symptom of a heart that’s been made new.
Like blossoms on a healthy tree, obedience springs from roots planted in grace.
📖 "If you love Me, keep My commandments." — John 14:15 (NKJV)
Not to prove your worth, but as a natural response to His love.
🌱 So where does that leave us? 🤔
Yes, disobedience has consequences. It can grieve Holy Spirit, stunt our growth, and break our fellowship with God. But it doesn’t break our relationship with Him unless we choose to walk away entirely. Even then, He pursues. His mercy is relentless.
There is a holy tension in Scripture, between grace and truth, between mercy and obedience. Yet it’s all anchored in one thing: Jesus. He fulfilled what we never could.
Reflection:
Ask yourself not “how much can I disobey and still be saved,” but rather:
“How can I love Jesus more deeply today, and live from that love?” 🤔
That’s where true obedience is birthed, not in fear, but in relationship.
📖 "For the love of Christ compels us..." — 2 Corinthians 5:14 (NKJV)
Life Application:
Affirmation:
May your heart be anchored not in fear of falling short, but in the wonder of the One who finished the work for you. You are His, and He is faithful to complete what He began in you.
You are not earning Heaven. You’re walking home to a Father who already made a way. 🌿
Creative Prompt:
Paint or journal a tree in bloom — each branch representing a different area of your life (relationships, work, creativity, health, faith, etc).
As you add blossoms to each branch, ask:
“What does obedience look like here when it flows from love rather than fear?” 🤔
Let the Holy Spirit guide your brush or your pen — and allow grace to shape every detail.
Closing Prayer:
Jesus, thank You that I don’t have to earn my way to You. You came all the way to me.
Search my heart, Lord. Where there is disobedience, expose it in love and lead me back to the narrow way.
Let obedience flow not from striving, but from intimacy.
I want to walk with You, not just toward Heaven one day, but hand-in-hand with You now.
In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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