*On Obedience*

I used to be really obedient.  I was the shy, insecure kid who just went with the crowd.  In class, I would almost always obey the teacher.  I wasn't the smartest or the dumbest. I would not mess around, and even if I wasn't listening, I would try to make it look like I was.  I was just in the in-between.  Life was stressful there. Always trying to do the right thing in my OWN strength.  However, in my mind raged rebellion.  Even though I would obey on the exterior, I would stand my ground in my mind.  I learned the hard way that rebellion gets you nowhere really quickly.  I don't even remember when I grasped the concept, perhaps I am just learning now as I type, but I know that GOD desires obedience over sacrifice.

What does this even mean?  Obedience??  Sounds so juvenile! I am an adult, so does this still apply to me?  I think of Luke (my growing three year old son).  He is always trying to do his OWN thing.  And I am always trying to get him to obey me.  I am always like, "Luke, listen to mommy's words!"  I see how hard it is for him to obey.  His battle within is evident all through his body language.  He doesn't like to be told what to do.  He just wants to be free.  A perfect example just happened a few days ago.  Luke always squirms on his chair.  He cannot sit still.  Frank and I are constantly reminding him to sit still.  We tell him, "be careful Luke; you are going to fall down."  Well sure enough, he fell and cut open his chin.  He was so upset and scared.  Poor thing!  Were we being controlling and mean parents by reminding and warning him to sit still? No! We were looking out for him.

Luke is so like us! We want to do our own thing and God is like, "listen to MY WORDS." Whoa! We try to run and hide. We fight back.  We do our own thing, and the whole time, God is like the parent just trying to get His child to obey.  Disobedience is us elevating our will over God's.  It's saying, I know what's best; you don't!

Saul struggled with the same issue.  He chose to disobey God and do what he thought was right.  In 1 Samuel 15, God commands Saul to kill all of the Amalekites, and do not spare any of them.  Because Saul fears the people, he obeys their voice and not God's.  He spares their king and keeps the best of the spoils.  Because of his disobedience, he loses his kingdom.  What a terrible loss disobedience brings. Samuel was so grieved he cried out  to God all night on Saul's behalf.   Samuel then had to finish Saul's work by killing King Agag, and from that day on they never saw each other again.  Why did Saul disobey!?!  Could it be that he failed to realize that, "he was not a sovereign and independent ruler like others...Instead he was an agent and representative of the divine King?"  So like Saul, we too are not independent rulers of our own lives.  We are agents of Christ.  We are pilgrims on a journey receiving our directions through His words.  Has Christ called you to obey in a specific area of your life?  Are you?

"But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you.' 
Jeremiah 7:23

How precious.  What a perfect Savior.

In Him & until next time,

Darla