It is difficult to wrap our minds around the extreme measures God took to restore our relationship back to Him. The God of the universe loved you and I so much that He sent His one and only Son to die for us. This is such a hard thought for me to grasp because I realize, I truly offer Him nothing in return.
The Lord has given me a small glimpse of this love through my two boys. I have a 1 year old and a 2 year old. My life right now is consumed with doing things for them (taking care of them, feeding them, bathing them, rocking them to sleep, etc.) Any need they have, I am here to try and meet it. And it is my joy to do so, even though they offer me nothing in return. But what pleases my heart so much as their mom, is if they love me back and trust what I say. My love isn’t contingent on this, but it pleases me. I believe our love and obedience pleases the heart of God in this same way. His love isn’t contingent on it, but it pleases Him immensely.
We truly offer God nothing, but the one thing we can give Him and the thing that He is after is our faith, trust, and obedience.
I want to focus on that word, "obedience", in today's blog. I believe there are myths that are common to the believer about obeying the Lord, and clear truths that we find in God’s Word.
3 Myths about Obedience:
Myth 1: Obeying God will always be easy.
Obeying God isn’t always easy and things don’t always magically fall into place. We are almost guaranteed that there will be opposition when we choose obedience. We can expect this, because we know we have an enemy who is constantly trying to thwart God’s plans and deceive us into disobeying Him.
“Your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring Lion
seeking whom he may devour.”
1 Peter 5:8
Myth 2: If I obey, I’ll see instant results.
Have you ever obeyed something God asked of you and then things got worse? I know I have experienced this from time to time. I like to see instant fruit, but God plants seeds, and seeds take time to grow. I love this quote by Charles Stanley “Obey God and trust Him with the results.”
Sometimes God, in His kindness, gives us instant fruit, but often times He is working in ways we can’t see.
“He who calls you is faithful, who will also do it.”
1 Thessalonians 5:24
Myth 3: God will only ask of me something that I am capable of doing.
God will almost always ask us to do something that we could never do without His help. We see this in countless stories throughout the Bible.
We see this in the story of Gideon. In Judges chapter 6, God appears to Gideon and tells him that He wants him to lead an army and save Israel from the Midianites. Gideon tells the Lord, there is no way we can do this, “my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” (vs.15) God says, “but I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man.” (vs.16)
God loves to use ordinary people like you and me to accomplish His great purposes. All we have to do is say “yes” when He invites us to do something.
Truths about obedience:
Obedience pleases the heart of God. "And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep his commandments and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.” (1 John 3:22)
Obeying God will cost me something, but disobeying Him will cost me more. “For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:25)
Obedience leads to blessings. “All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God.” (Deuteronomy 28)
Obedience will lead to a prosperous life. "Obey the voice of the Lord and keep all his commandments that I command you today. The Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous in all the work of your hand…for the Lord will again take delight in prospering you…” (Deuteronomy 30:8-9)
Obedience is a day-by-day surrender. "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9:23)
God will always help me obey Him and it is through Him that I can accomplish what He’s asking of me. “It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do no fear or be dismayed.” (Deuteronomy 31:8)
May we be women who fight to obey God and walk in His ways!
Prayer points:
Thank You, God, for Your Word and the instructions You have given me in it, to live a life that pleases You.
Help me God to desire to obey You more than my flesh.
Convict me when I have stopped walking in Your ways and help me to quickly turn back to You.
Give me the strength to obey You and trust You with the results.
Lord,
I thank You for Your kindness and goodness in my life. I thank You that You went to extreme measures to restore my relationship back to You. I thank You that You came so that I could have life and have it abundantly. Help me, God, to walk in Your ways and to trust Your words. Help me not to be deceived by the enemy when he tries to make me think my plans are better than Yours. And help me not to be led by my own desires but by Yours only. Help me when I start to stray to quickly return back to You. Thank You, Lord, for Your grace and great plans, help me to fight to walk in them. In Jesus’ Name I ask all of these things, Amen.
Sincerely,
Madison Hartley