Obedience

One thing I find myself recently telling my children is that true obedience when you obey even when you have no desire to obey.

In other words, if you only obey when it's something you want anyway, you are still just doing what you want to do. That's not obedience, it is self-service under the guise of obedience. 

Obedience isn't a feeling. Often, we don't desire to obey. Obedience is a choice, an active decision to trust and/or respect the authority placed over you by submitting to their will instead of your own.

Obedience goes against our nature as sinners. This is probably why there is so much scripture exhorting us to obedience.

Ephesians 6:1 "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right."

Exodus 20:12 "Honor thy father and mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy god giveth thee."

John 14:15 "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

These three verses are always the first that come to mind when I think of obedience. But there is soooooo much more in the Bible about obeying the Lord.

I Samuel 15:16-23

Ephesians 2:2

I John 3:16-24

James 1:21-25

Proverbs 10:24

Psalm 119:33-40

~ You can look those up yourself or search the Bible for obey/obedience. You will be reading for a long time.

📌 Very often I find the lessons my children struggle to learn are often the very same as the ones God has been working on with me for years. I am still clay in the hands of the Master Potter. He is forming me into a person who is obedient. ~ No, not just obedient, for rebellion is not one of my tendencies, but into a vessel that is joyfully obedient. He is transforming me from the inside out. Romans 12:2 is often something I find myself praying, for I struggle with joy in obedience. I struggle with godliness with contentment (1 Timothy 6:6).

 

Psalm 119:33-40

ה HE.

  33 Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end.
  34 Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.
  35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
  36 Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
  37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity; and quicken thou me in thy way.^*n6
  38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
  39 Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments are good.
  40 Behold, I have longed after thy precepts: quicken me in thy righteousness.

 Psalm 37:3-5

  3 Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.^*n1
  4 Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.
  5 Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

 

🙏 I pray for your hearts this week, dear sisters and friends. I pray that God gives us grace to obey His will, and to have a heart of obedience. We fight against the flesh all the time (Romans 7), but God is good and loves us. He only wants what is best for us.