The Importance Of Obedience

If they go out into the street, they will be killed, and we cannot be held to our oath. But we swear that no one inside this house will be killed—not a hand will be laid on any of them. Joshua 2:19

Sometimes obedience can mean the difference between life and death.

The spies had given Rahab simple instructions: She and her family were to stay in the house. If they obeyed, they would be spared. If, however, they ventured outside, they would be slaughtered along with the rest of the city of Jericho. It was their obedience that would save their lives.

As a teenager, I saw an example of this from up close. As I was learning to drive, I was told, “When you start out at a green light, always look to the left and right before you take your foot off the brake.” When I first heard these instructions, I thought they were silly, but I got in the habit of looking left and right simply because I was taught to do so.

One night a few years later, I was driving home from a youth function. I stopped at a red light and waited. When the light turned green, those words came back to me: “Look left and right.” The impression was strong enough that I did so, even though I felt foolish. Just as I turned my head left, a police car—with no lights on—came ripping through the intersection, fast enough to catch air and send out sparks as it scraped the pavement on the far end of the intersection.

If I had ignored that reminder to look left and right, I would probably have been severely injured or even killed.

Obedience is important when you are driving, but it’s absolutely essential when you want to live a victorious, thriving life in Christ. What is God calling you to do today? Whatever it may be, your obedience to that calling will make all the difference in where you are headed tomorrow.

God, help me understand the importance of simple obedience, and let my life reflect that understanding.