And what is true of the worship of God offered by Christians, is equally true of their obedience to God, not merely in the actions of their daily lives but in their spoken and unspoken thoughts.  That obedience too should be truly personal.  For we are called to obey, not a collection of laws issued by some remote, impersonal authority, but Our Divine King himself.

For Christian obedience is not the mere observance of a code of injunctions and prohibitions, but a willing loyalty to One who matters more than all else in the world.  In other words, its motive force is not any uneasy fear of punishment but a love which proves itself by being dutiful.  “If you love me”, says Our Lord, “you will keep my commandments” (NRSV, John 14:15).  Because one thing is certain, if we don’t love him we won’t keep them, and as a result our lives, both outwardly and in the inner recesses of our souls, will have all too much in common with the non-Christian world around us.

Thus our loyalty to Our Lord outside Church should be a natural consequence of our friendship with him and his Father inside, and a proof that the latter has been active and sincere.  As Our Blessed Lord put it, “You are my friends if you do what I command you” (NRSV, John 15:14).

For true obedience is not only the fruit of true worship but also the test by which the inner quality of our worship may be measured.  For if we respond to Our Lord as Our Saviour, we shall also be found loyal to him as our King.

Reference

1. Bridges, M. (1800-1894) The head that once was crowned with thorns.  Available from: http://www.oremus.org/hymnal/c/c396.html (Accessed 07 November 2015) (Internet).