Obedience

Obedience

MY QUESTION for GOD

Total obedience to God is impossible. How obedient do I need to be in order to please him?

A MOMENT with GOD

Obey me, and I will be your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!

Jeremiah 7:23

Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded you to do so that the glory of the Lord may appear to you.”

Leviticus 9:6

If you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:25

God knows you can’t obey him completely, so he is more interested in how much you want to obey him. To want to obey him more, you must grasp a true understanding of obedience and how it builds or destroys relationships. From the six-year-old who leaves her playmates because her mother has called her in for dinner to the business executive who pays his taxes on time, we all live in a web of relationships that depend upon obedience to authority. Like a loving parent or a responsible government, God sets standards of behavior for your own good and to protect you from evil and harm. Some people defy authority, but obedience actually frees us to enjoy life as God intended because it keeps us from becoming entangled in harmful situations. Even though God’s commandments are sometimes difficult to obey, or they don’t make sense from our human perspective, obedience to him will always bring blessing, joy, and peace. When you look at obedience this way, then you obey God out of love and gratitude for all he’s trying to do for you rather than out of fear of being punished. The more you obey out of love, the more you want to obey, and the more that obedience becomes a lifestyle rather than a chore. The more that obedience becomes a lifestyle, the less you are tempted to avoid the consequences of poor decisions. Since God is the creator of life, he knows how life is supposed to work. Obedience to his ways demonstrates your willingness to follow through on what he says is best. It shows your trust that God’s way will work for you, and that will inspire the people you lead.

DIVINE PROMISE

OH, THE JOYS OF THOSE WHO DO NOT FOLLOW THE ADVICE OF THE WICKED, OR STAND AROUND WITH SINNERS, OR JOIN IN WITH MOCKERS. BUT THEY DELIGHT IN THE LAW OF THE LORD, MEDITATING ON IT DAY AND NIGHT. THEY ARE LIKE TREES PLANTED ALONG THE RIVERBANK, BEARING FRUIT EACH SEASON. THEIR LEAVES NEVER WITHER, AND THEY PROSPER IN ALL THEY DO.   Psalm 1:1-3