Have you ever asked yourself, Why Obedience? Why would God ask the most intellectual beings He’s ever created to just simply follow Him and Obey His commands?
Aren’t human beings more capable than simply obeying? I mean we have the ability to advance technology far beyond what we can even imagine. We have the ability to come up with ideas like the lightbulb that can change the world forever.
So why simply obedience? Is it a tool to combat our pride? Is it a reminder that God is Lord over all the earth? Is it a measure of our relationship with our heavenly father?
Maybe it’s all these things and some? Maybe it’s none of them at all?
As I wrestle with the simplicity of obedience, I begin to see the complexity of what obedience means to us and God.
I start to ask myself why is it so hard to obey God? Maybe we think we know better?
I often think that sometimes living in a democracy influences our obedience to God because obedience may be associated with the ideas of submission to authority, which can be tainted by our past history or experiences of submitting to the wrong authority, causing harm to ourselves and possibly the lives of others.
Maybe you had a lot of trouble with the law? Maybe you had trouble obeying your parents/guardians/caregivers?
Let me remind you of the importance of Romans 12:2 (NIV):
“Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is–his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
Patterns of behavior often start with patterns of the mind. We behave as a result of how we think, whether it’s implicit or explicit. We pick up both good and bad thinking and behaving on this journey of life. But with the help of the Holy Spirit we can submit our thoughts to God for renewal and allow them to be transformed so that we can ultimately be transformed.
To me Obedience is a tool to combat our pride, as we gain more and more knowledge and understanding of ourselves and the world we live in, we fill our minds of what we know and sometimes hang our hats on these things but with all due respect, when we take all our knowledge of this world and all the experiences we have, they don’t even come close to the God of all the ages. When we think we know what’s best for us, God uses Obedience to show us that He has something better for us. It humbles us when we need it the most.
Obedience is a constant reminder of who God is and His rightful place as ruler over all things. He knows all, sees all and is the ruler of All Creation. Obedience or should I say the lack thereof, can become a measurement of my relationship with God. It reveals to me the areas in my life where I trust God and the areas of my life that I still hold on tightly too. Obedience is all these things and more!
As we continue to grow in maturity and obedience to God. I believe He will reveal to us what it means to Obey Him and the importance in every season of our lives.