obedience that does not flow from the heart counts for very little in the eyes of God. It’s what’s inside that counts. Motivation counts because God wants our love and friendship, not just the right behavior. If he simply wanted compliance, he could have created a race of automatons. But desiring communion with beings enough like him to make intimacy possible, he created humans. And he patiently woos us as we learn not just to do what he desires but to surrender to his love.
