Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Odedience Or Sacafice



Doing what God ask us shows our love for him.  John 14:15 says “if you love me, you will keep my commands.” What should motivate our submission to God’s way is our love for him. Is it possible to follow God concerning some areas of our lives and not in others?

Well imaging that your child uses profanity in school, but cleans his room, do you take joy in his  tidying his room and over look his misconduct at school? Absolutely not! I expect my child to follow my rules all the time and in all areas. Well the same goes for obeying God’s commands, he wants your full submission, your whole heart not just a piece of it. 

While God is concerned about our lives and the fruit that we produce for the kingdom, he is foremost concerned about our obedience.  You see, because obedience my friend flows from the heart! A heart that yields to him, a life that is surrendered to do his will, a willingness to die to self, daily. 

My pastor once said “faith will take you to the water, but it’s obedience that will cause you to step in”. Faith will cause you to follow God, to seek him but what happens when what God tells you to do goes against everything your flesh “wants”, when he tells you to leave that job, to break up with that boo that you love, to walk away from that toxic friendship.  The fact is that our good works aren’t nearly as important as our obedience.

I used to be more interested in pushing my own agenda. I was so wrapped up in my career, achieving the goals that I had set, the life that I wanted, the man that I thought I had to have. I had such a selfish heart. I only called on God when I needed him, and my confidence was always conditional, negotiating with God was my game. If you do that God, then I will this.  A few years ago I made a commitment to be obedient to God no matter what, to follow him beyond my feelings and to be committed to where it was that he would send me. 

The most amazing thing is that God gives us free will. We get to choose everyday if we will obey or rebel against God.  There is always consequences for rebellion. There is always a price to pay when we choose to not obey God. In the same way blessings will always follow obedience.  God is and has opened so many doors for me because of my obedience. My obedience is no longer conditional. I’m not perfect and fall short everyday, but everyday I try my best  to have a mindset that is committed to living a life that is pleasing to God. I know that it is not easy. I can tell you this because I know what it’s like to walk in disobedience and now I am experiencing the fruit of obedience. 

If you have been walking in disobedience, don’t be hard on yourself, or beat yourself up. I pray you will trade your will for your life for his. And know that God still and will always love you! 

5 comments :

  1. Oh this is so very true...I have a hard time with this sometimes. I love the quote about stepping in the water. I definitely need to keep that in mind this week!

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    1. Yes, its a =n area we all struggle in sometimes, obedience can be a hard pill to swallow.

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  2. Great post! I too have been guilty of bargaining with God. I'm learning to listen and be more discerning of his voice so that I may lead a life that's pleasing to Him as well. Thanks for sharing :)

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  3. This is so inspirational! Keep up the great work and if that's your bedroom in the photo I am super jealous! Cause it's beautiful!

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  4. I love this post! I love about how you discussed obedience is what cause you to step in. It takes more than faith. I know that negotiating tactic all too well. I have been working on this. Thanks so much for sharing!

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