We will always reserve the best for the one we love the most. Oftentimes we'll see a child pick the biggest piece of cake with the most frosting because he loves himself most. He will enthusiastically defend himself when accused of wrong doing [even when guilty] becaue he loves himself most. He wants to be the first line, the captain of the team and the first out the door for recess. This love for himself is evidenced by the way he wholeheartedly looks out for himself and gives himself the best options.
We love ourselves best. That's why it is so difficult to obey God sometimes because we will ourselves first. Obedience is more than command- ment/oriented living versus desire & feeling/oriented living. While commands must be obeyed and feelings must be ignored the issue is more fundamentally stated as flesh versus Spirit.
We are either obeying our flesh and pleasing ourselves or obeying the Spirit and pleasing God. A love relationship is at the heart of our obedience. We will always please the one we love the most. [OUCH!] If we God the most, we will please Him. If we love ourselves the most, we will please ourselves.
"And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." --Deuteronomy 6:5
"And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." --Colossians 3:23-24
Our actions betray whom we love most -- ourselves or God. Such is the nature of obedience: it is a reflection of the heart. [I have seen this before and the Holy Spirit has convicted me of it before. And again today the conviction I feel reminds me its an ongoing battle for me to deny my flesh, so that I may please God.]
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