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Proverbs 28:9 (NLT) God detests the prayers of a person who ignores the law.
This verse shows us that there is a connection between obedience to God’s law and our prayers. As Christians, it is important to understand that Jesus fulfilled the requirements of the law on our behalf. He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins, providing the way for us to be forgiven and reconciled to God.
Because Jesus fulfilled the law, we are no longer required to observe the ceremonial requirements God gave to Israel, such as animal sacrifices, dietary restrictions and ceremonial washings. These laws pointed forward to Jesus and the salvation He accomplished through His death and resurrection.
However, this does not mean that obedience to God is no longer important. Jesus emphasized the heart of God’s moral law and taught that obedience involves more than outward actions. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, He taught that anger can reflect the same heart attitude that leads to murder and that lustful thoughts are a violation of God’s standard of purity (Matthew 5:21–30). Jesus also calls you to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37–40). As a Christian, you are called to obey Jesus and follow His teachings.
You do not obey God to earn your salvation. Instead, because you have been saved through faith in Jesus, the Holy Spirit works in you to help you live in obedience to Him.
When a person deliberately rejects Jesus and disregards God’s Word, they cannot expect their prayers to please God while they persist in disobedience. God calls you to confess your sins and walk in obedience to Him. Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father, and through His death and resurrection, He made a way for us to approach the Father. He is our intercessor, the One through whom we have access to God.
If you have put your faith in Christ, examine your heart. Are you resisting something God has shown you in His Word? Bring it to Him in prayer, confess your sin and ask the Holy Spirit to help you obey. If you have not put your faith in Christ, turn to Him. Through Jesus, you can be forgiven, reconciled to God and brought into a relationship with the Father.~ Jeff M Newman
Latest Bible Study
Observe Jesus’ Commands
Remove the plank from your own eye first before judging others. Examine yourself and repent of your sins before pointing out the flaws of another.
Matthew 7:1-5 “Do not judge, or you will be judged. 2 For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? 4 How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while there is still a beam in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
Previous Bible Study
Lesson 61 - 1 John 2:24 As for you, let what you have heard from the beginning remain in you...
Welcome to the Hope Bible School verse-by-verse Bible study of 1 John. This is Jeff M Newman. Get a new lesson every other week on Mondays at 12:00 PM Pacific.
Yesterday’s Devotional
The Body Is a Unit, Though It Is Composed of Many Parts
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