What Is Jehovah Asking From You? (Modified Talk)

Jehovah is such a generous God: he is the giver of every good gift and every perfect present (James 1:17). All throughout creation, we see evidence of his love, goodness and generosity (Romans 1:20). Therefore, how should we respond? What does Jehovah expect from us in return for all his goodness?

Read Deut. 10:12-We should obey Jehovah out of reverential awe and love. But what does it mean to be in awe of Jehovah or to fear him? The fear of Jehovah is a healthy and reverential regard for God and his ways. It means that we fear to displease Jehovah much like we might fear to displease a loving parent. Malachi 3:5 indicates that the fear of Jehovah can keep us from being lured by spiritism and sexual immorality. Yet in addition to reverential fear, our primary motive for obeying Jehovah is love for him and his benevolent laws (Matthew 22:37-39).

Yet if we fear Jehovah and love him, what can we expect in return? Read Deut. 10:13. So what can we expect when we obey Jehovah? A multitude of benefits, both now and in the life to come (1 Timothy 4:8). Think about it: all of Jehovah's commandments are for our lasting benefit: not one law that he commands us to keep is meant to harm us. Isa. 48:17; Ps 19:11--in keeping Jehovah's commandments, there is a large reward.

Yet none of us live a charmed life in this system, but we still benefit from serving Jehovah. Besides personal health benefits and emotional benefits, Deut. 10:15 mentions another benefit that comes from obeying Jehovah. (Read)

There is only one person in the Bible whom Jehovah explicitly called "my friend," and that was Abraham. Does this mean that others cannot be friends of Jehovah? No, for the words of Deut. 10:15 were addressed to the entire nation of Israel. Furthermore, James 4:8 invites all of us to draw close to Jehovah and he will draw close to us. Therefore, we too can have a close relationship with God: we also can be his friends. See Psalm 25:14.

So what is Jehovah asking of us? Jehovah wants us to love and obey him “from the heart.” (Romans 6:17) Those who choose to serve Jehovah enjoy the best way of life now, and we can look to the real life in the world to come.