“He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”” John 14:21…………
“Mercy! Mercy!” I called out to paralyzed dog Miss Mercy as I do multiple times a day so she will come to me so I can change her diaper. Her paralyzed dog buddy Mr. Simeon has just about no mobility without his wheelchair and Mommy’s help getting him around, but Miss Mercy who was hit by a car before she came to me at only about 6 months old has been scooting around on her knees for years not to mention enjoying her wheelchair. This time, she came surprisingly fast when I called! Not her usual way, mind you.
“That’s exactly the kind of obedience I like to see!” Mommy declared, Mommy being me, myself, and I.
No sooner did the words pop out of my mouth aloud to Miss Mercy then I heard them resonate deep inside me and that special feeling came – the feeling that there is a message for others. And here it is.
Miss Mercy usually does not come when I call her. Okay, not entirely true. When it comes to diaper changing, she does come. Eventually. When she feels like it. When I’ve called her incessantly. Or if she’s in the mood to hurry on a particular day. When she’s not feeling especially lazy. Or too comfortable where she is. When she doesn’t have better options, in her estimate anyway. When she’s listening to me. Well, I think you get the point. Her obedience is, well, ahem, slow at best. And takes a heck of a lot of my calling out to her to get her to obey me. Can you begin to sense the message in this?
As soon as I spoke aloud the words, “Now that’s the kind of obedience I like to see,” I felt like the Holy Spirit was speaking to me, “Now that’s the kind of obedience I like to see.” In other words, the Lord wants obedience – NOW. Not when we feel like it, not when we’re in the mood, not when we feel like listening, or don’t think we have better options, or in our time frame, or when we feel like there’s no better option, and we’re not too comfy where we are, when we feel like obeying, when we think there’s nothing better in the world to do than to obey Him, in our good slow own time, well, do you get the point?
You can only imagine how many times I’ve gotten flustered and frustrated and impatient and upset with Miss Mercy for not coming when I call her so I can change her diaper. The Lord that day pulled me out of my little me and Miss Mercy world to show me something so immeasurably important.
Obedience is obedience. Obedience to God is obedience to the Lord! We are not to obey Him when we feel like it, are in the mood, don’t think there are any better options, etc. We are to obey Him when He tells us to obey Him because He is God! Because He is Lord! Imagine the delight I had that day when Miss Mercy obeyed me right on time. I truly was delighted! Imagine if God’s children would obey Him when He calls, when He gives us instructions, when He tells us what to do, without delay. Isn’t that the way it should be?
The verse above makes clear when we LOVE the Lord, we OBEY the Lord. Should we not then obey the Lord immediately – with the right heart, with the right attitude, without resistance, debate, question, or rebellion? Should we not show Him our love in our obedience? Oh, what a long way I have to go! To grow! In obedience! This message is convicting for me; is it for you? By God’s grace alone, He leads me to repentance when I fall short in this, reminds me how I need to grow in my obedience and in my attitude that comes with it, and in His strength He leads me forward in learning to obey Him in a way that is pleasing and honoring to Him!
Friend, this isn’t about me and my sweet loving adorable paralyzed dog called Miss Mercy. It’s about me, and you, and about God. And about how true obedience, the right kind of obedience, godly obedience, is ABOUT THE LORD and lovingly humbly faithfully devotedly OBEYING GOD when He calls, when He gives us instructions, whether it be personal directions to us as individuals in our everyday lives concerning ourselves, or whether it be HIS WORD which is our road map for living and our need to OBEY HIM in His Word AND in His personal instructions to us AT ALL TIMES for ONE REASON. The Lord Jesus Christ! To God be the glory, and may we obey Him faithfully and forever, amen!