What motivates you to obey Jesus? Are you motivated by love for Jesus, or are you motivated by legal obligation? The freedom from the law that salvation provides sets you free to obey out of joy and not obligation.

Joyful obedience is different from obligated compliance. When you are bound to the law, you are obligated to obey its demands and suffer its judgment. When you are free in Jesus, you are free from the law, free to enjoy the righteousness of Jesus, and free to obey His commands willfully.

There are some things you have to do. Usually, these things come from the demands of the law. For example, paying your income taxes is an obligation of the law. You do not pay your income tax out of joy or desire but out of obligation. Because paying taxes is a demand of the law, you only pay what is required and nothing more.

There are some things you do out of joy. These things come from the desire of your heart. For example, spending time with your spouse, giving gifts to your children, or enjoying the company of friends are not done out of obligation but out of joyful desire. Being free from the law and bound to Jesus is not about trading one burden for another. Being free from the law and bound to Jesus is about being free from obligation and set free to enjoy a relationship that produces joyful obedience.

We need to reform the old phrase “I’m just a sinner saved by grace with a new phrase. “I was a sinner, but now I am saved by grace!”

Sometimes all you have is a few minutes. With this in mind I am excited to announce a new podcast channel called “Sermon Shorts”. I will be posting 5 min or less clips from recent sermons. I hope you will subscribe and listen. The channel is already available on Apple podcast and will be coming to Google podcast, and other podcast sites very soon.

The following is an example of what each sermon short will be like. It is from a sermon I preached from 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 titled “Our Identity is in Christ alone.” Get more information at www.BenSmithsr.org