To Obey...Or Not To Obey?

It is right that what is just should be obeyed. It is necessary that what is strongest should be obeyed. – Blaise Pascal

I sincerely believe, without exception, that doing the easy thing can be a dangerous way to live (Hebrews 5:7-8). By dangerous, I mean that we put ourselves in a sort of cruise mood; some might even call it indifference. Besides, we can’t please God if we always do the easy thing, can we?. Obeying God sometimes requires us to do things that are uncomfortable; not easy, or in “danger” of going against what others might think.

There are times when obedience isn’t really obedience. The Bible says that we stand condemned by the whole law when we violate any part of it (James 2:10). I suppose you could say that the test of true faith is whether we obey when it is hard to obey. What do I mean by this?

For most of us, we would say it’s hard to obey…

When we’re not “in the mood.” - If we choose not to do the right thing when we simply don’t feel like it, what kind of commitment to God does that demonstrate? That’s not any kind of commitment at all! If we are not in the mood to obey God, we need to change our mood fast. In reality, not being in the mood to obey God is straight up disobedience and disrespect for God.

When it’s not “convenient.” - Felix, the Roman Procurator of Judaea, is a classic example of someone who put off doing the right thing until “a convenient time” (Acts. 24:25). If we think we’ll delay obedience until it becomes easier, we usually find that it only becomes harder. Also, the cost of discipleship usually rises with time. If we’re not careful we might reveal that our daily schedules, routines, habits, etc. are more important to us than God’s will. Just stop and think about this for a minute. It’s possible to be so obsessed by our usual routine that the Lord has to “make an appointment” if He needs us for anything! Would we like for the Lord to treat us like this?

We can always go to the Lord any time and He will be there for us. You know that, and if not, you should! That’s why we must have an open schedule for the Lord at all times. The real work of the Lord rarely fits into the neat pattern of “convenient” openings in our lives. Considerable involvement in the Lord’s work often involves some kind of disruption in our lives. Obedience to the commands of God is not always convenient.

Here's a short list of examples to share with you; they are as follows: 1) going to worship is not always convenient; 2) home Bible study is not always convenient; 3)unselfish efforts are not always convenient; 4) standing up for truth will not always be convenient. Do some of these sound familiar?

When I do not understand why God has required something. - We may not always understand the “why” of God’s will; or how more good than bad can sometimes come from doing what God wills us to do. But true believers have always trusted God enough to obey Him. Understanding can wait, obedience can’t!

When my preference is otherwise. - Human “wisdom,” “emotion,” etc. often get in the way of genuine obedience. People of true faith have always been willing to concede self-will to God’s will. It’s often difficult to obey God when our preference is to do otherwise.

When it would embarrass me. - We often use the word hypocrite to describe the worldly person who comes to church on Sunday morning and pretends to be a godly individual. But hypocrite can also describe the person who pretends not to be a believer in order to avoid the risk of others’ displeasure. Refusal to obey because of embarrassment is really denial of the Lord. Yet for many, it is sometimes difficult to obey or stand up for God because of the fear of embarrassment.

It can be hard for us to obey. In fact, it can be the hardest thing for us as Christians to do. Paul said that to be consistently obedient he had to discipline himself (1 Corinthians 9:24-27). Self discipline is vital in our pleasing God. Jesus, of course, is the supreme example of consistent obedience (Matthew 26:39; Hebrews 12:2).

So, let’s not let anything stand in our way of being obedient to the Lord! He expects us to obey His word (Jn. 14:15, 23, 24; 1 Jn. 5:3; 2 Thess. 2:15; 2 Tim. 1:13). As you can see from these verses, obedience to God and His Word is extremely important. In fact, it’s a mandatory part of our Christian lives. If we love God, we will obey His commands. But keep in mind that we must obey not just part of His commands, not just the ones that we like or agree with; we must attempt to obey all of His decrees.

Additional Scripture: Jn. 12:47,48; Gal.1:6-9; 2 Tim. 4:3,4; Jn. 5:24; Rom. 1:16); Dt. 28:1,2; Dt. 28:11; Josh. 1:8; Dt. 4:40; 5:33; Prov. 10:27.

Prayer: Jesus,

Jesus, Teach me the meaning of obedience. My soul burns to comply to Your Will, Striving to charm Your Divinity. While my worldly nature seeks one way, My spiritual nature seeks another. Bless me with the strength to obey, That my soul may overcome both natures, Blending them as a fair aromatic bloom. I always seek favor in Your eyes, To always obey You until my last breath! Amen

May God always bless you!

Misti