Obedience

There was a time that I was more determined than ever to please God. I was suffering from inescapable pain, and I wanted to do whatever was necessary if He would just remove the sickness from my body.

I knew I had to go back to church. I knew I had to read my Bible more and change the music I was listening to. I had to find the sin that was holding me back from my healing.

So I began to study the Bible for anything that God said was a sin. I would then be able to remove it from my life.

At the time, I kept coming across scriptures about obeying the law. I didn’t fully understand the context of those words, but I thought the Ten Commandments would be a good place to start. Surely that would tell me what I wasn’t supposed to be doing.

But as I found out, it wasn’t necessarily about the law itself. Obedience was the key word. I realized that sometimes obedience doesn’t mean not doing what you shouldn’t be doing. Sometimes obedience simply means doing what you should be doing.

In 1 Samuel, King Saul pretty much had one job. He was to fight the armies who stood against God’s Kingdom. Samuel, the prophet, was to help him and offer the sacrifice before battle. But one day, Saul became impatient and took matters into his own hands. He offered the sacrifice himself before Samuel arrived.

Saul thought what he did was ok. After all, he was just trying to please God. He was just trying to do good.

But what was God’s response? God stripped Saul of his kingdom!

“But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” – 1 Samuel 15:22

Saul was supposed to have a kingdom forever, but because of his continual disobedience, God removed that blessing.

Like Saul, I had one job. God had given me one purpose. I was looking to sacrifice to God the sin in my life. But God was looking for me to obey Him by committing the works He called me to commit.

God wants your obedience first and foremost. Your obedience shows, without a doubt, your submission, acceptance, and complete trust in Him.

Don’t you see? To obey is the sacrifice!

It is one thing to give something up. In this day and age, we know we can easily get it back. But it is another to go against the grain of your own comfort. It is harder to step out in boldness for your faith than it is to sacrifice your sin in private. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. ( Romans 8:8) Your obedience ultimately sacrifices your flesh.

A sacrifice is often our own choice. Yes, we are inspired by God, but it is us taking matters into our own hands on which part of our lives we want to get rid of, meanwhile holding onto the rest.

But obedience is full surrender.

You are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness – Romans 6:16

You might go to church every Sunday, as the law commands. Sacrificing your weekend, your time sleeping in, to be with God. But are you doing what He’s called you to do?

You might be going on missions trips. After all, you’ve always wanted to see the world. But did God call you to minister to your own home first?

Are you obeying what he’s asked you to do? Or Are you going about merely doing good works on your own terms?

Sometimes, it might be as simple as sending a text to someone that God tells you to reach out to. Or waking up at 5 in the morning to write down the revelation God showed you in the midnight hours. Other times, it might mean the loss of popularity or even endangerment of taking a stand and speaking out for your faith.

But when God says speak, you speak. When God says stop, you stop. He is an all knowing God. Don’t you feel more confident in a situation knowing that someone is watching from the outside, someone who knows the ending? Isn’t that the One that you want to trust? So why then would you try to take matters into your own hands?

Are you being obedient to the will of God?