Is doing something you don’t want to do, but you’re only doing it for God counted as valid for Him? Or not doing something you’d like to do because of God, is it valid?<\/p>\n
I mean, what if He doesn’t accept us doing something that we’re not “willing” to?<\/p>\n\t
“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him<\/em>” (Matthew 21:28-32).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
When a person does what God asks, not because he wants to do it but because God asks it of him, what does that tell you about the person? It tells me that he loves God more than he loves himself. “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome<\/em>” (I John 5:3).<\/p>\n
Still, there is merit in a desire to put God first in your life. “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind<\/em>” (Luke 10:27). Without love for God and a desire to please Him, you won’t remain obedient to Him.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Question: Is doing something you don’t want to do, but you’re only doing it for God counted as valid for Him? Or not doing something you’d like to do because of God, is it valid? I mean, what if He doesn’t accept us doing something that we’re not “willing” to? Answer: “But what do you…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[20],"tags":[54,574,1357],"class_list":["post-36648","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-obedience","tag-service","tag-willing"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":40433,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-gain-the-power-to-do-miracles-because-he-fasted\/","url_meta":{"origin":36648,"position":0},"title":"Did Jesus gain the power to do miracles because he fasted?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 26, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Before Jesus began his ministry, he was led to the desert where he was tempted. He fasted the whole period. Many in the denominations claim he was empowered two perform miracles after his fast, such as turning water into wine, etc. In their claim, two miracle-working powers popular are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":43326,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/how-do-i-handle-marrying-a-hindu\/","url_meta":{"origin":36648,"position":1},"title":"How do I handle marrying a Hindu?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 14, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I am a Christian, baptized when I was 16 years old. I used to live with my parents and I never used to eat anything offered to idols or entered temples. Four years later I thought food won't hurt us nor would going to temples hurt our faith in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":48600,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/do-we-need-her-fathers-blessing\/","url_meta":{"origin":36648,"position":2},"title":"Do we need her father’s blessing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I bring you greetings, Please, sir, I have a pressing question that demands an urgent answer. I proposed to a girl and she accepted after praying about it. We both belong to one group in our church and according to the ethics of the group, every member of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":70110,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-progressive-repentance-scriptural\/","url_meta":{"origin":36648,"position":3},"title":"Is Progressive Repentance Scriptural?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 3, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Osamagbe Lesley Egharevba via Unmasking Sophistry, Vol 4. No. 4, October-December 2024 During my preaching work in Ghana in July and August 2024, I heard the term \"Progressive Repentance\" for the first time. 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