荷蘭的冬天雖不常下大雪，但寒冷的天氣仍會使河面結冰。我丈夫湯姆自幼在荷蘭長大，當他年幼時，父母就訂下家規：「在河面冰層厚到足以讓一匹馬行走之前，不准踩在冰面上。」那時，路上常常會有馬匹走過時留下的馬糞，某一天，湯姆和他的幾個玩伴就決定從路上取些馬糞，將馬糞投擲到薄冰上，一邊探路一邊冒險走到河面上。雖然最後他們平安歸來，此事也沒被人發現，但他們都心知肚明，自己不聽話，沒有遵守父母的規定。

順服並非人的本性，有時選擇要不要順服、遵守規定，可能是出於責任感或害怕受罰。但我們也可以因為愛和尊重長輩或上位者，而選擇順服。

約翰福音14章記載，耶穌告訴眾門徒：「人若愛我，就必遵守我的道，⋯⋯不愛我的人就不遵守我的道」（23-24節）。順服並不總是一個容易的選擇，但內住在你我心中的聖靈，祂的大能會使我們渴望，並有能力去遵行上帝的話語（15-17節）。因著聖靈的幫助，我們就能繼續順服這位最愛我們的上帝，遵守祂的命令──不是因為害怕受罰，而是出於愛。

Winters in the Netherlands seldom bring a lot of snow, but it can get cold enough to freeze over the canals. When my husband, Tom, was growing up there, his parents had a family rule: “Stay off the ice until it is thick enough to hold the weight of a horse.” Because horses would leave evidence of their presence behind, Tom and his buddies decided to get some manure off the road. They threw it on the thin ice and ventured out onto the surface. No harm came to them, nor were they discovered, but they knew in their hearts they’d been disobedient.

Obedience doesn’t always come naturally. The choice to obey or not to obey can spring from a sense of duty or fear of punishment. But we can also choose to obey out of love and respect for those in authority over us.

In John 14, Jesus challenged His disciples by saying, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. . . . Anyone who does not love me will not obey my teaching” (vv. 23-24). It’s not always an easy choice to obey, but the power of the Spirit living within us gives us the desire and ability to obey Him (vv. 15-17). With His enablement, we can continue to follow the commands of the one who loves us most—not out of fear of punishment, but out of love.