What Obedience Looks Like
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.” John 14:15
I don’t feel like doing this. This doesn’t look right. This doesn’t feel good. I don’t like the sound of this. Do you realize what people are going to say if I do this? Or think? I am going to look like such a fool. And sound so ridiculous. Lots of us have had these thoughts when it comes to the will of God, haven’t we? Maybe even lots of the time. In fact, we may find ourselves making decisions in our lives based exactly on this – on our human senses, our common sense, so to speak. On human wisdom instead of the wisdom of God. On our own will rather than His.
“Pray to God for us that we will find comfort in His will,” a cherished friend shared with me. Immediately, my heart knew something wasn’t right. But what I sensed wasn’t merely about my beautiful friend who has such a real, raw and sweet relationship with God. It was about me, about lots of us, maybe even about you. In my experience, my flesh is NOT comfortable with God’s will much of the time, if ever. In fact, my flesh oftentimes wants to run in the opposite direction of the will of God.
Obedience to God is NOT about comfort. It’s not about how we feel, what stuff looks like, what we think, if we’re comfortable, etc. Nor is it merely about obedience as though obedience is its own entity in and of itself apart from God. Obedience is about LOVING God. It’s about listening for His voice. It’s about hearing the Spirit of God speak through His Word and in line with it directly to our hearts, giving us direction for our individual, everyday lives, to each and every one of us personally. It’s about revering God, being in awe of Him, fearing and honoring Him, submitting ourselves to Him, SHOWING Him our love with our words and actions, choosing to say YES when our flesh vehemently wants to say NO WAY, I WILL NOT DO THIS OR THAT. It involves sacrifice; it involves denying ourselves, our ways, wishes, and wants. It’s about faith, not faith in words alone, but faith in ACTION.
Nowhere in the Bible have I seen God tell us to live according to what we want, see, think, etc. apart from Him. The Bible teaches us to bow down before almighty God, to live in fear, honor, praise and awe of Him, to love others with His love, to be filled with and led by His Spirit through faith in Jesus and lives submitted to Him, striving for holiness, purity, open and willing vessels of His ever ready to receive and pour out His love in loving obedience to Him as we seek to bring glory to His majesty! Perhaps it’s time we see obedience in a new light. The right light. In His.