Do you remember the song we would sing as children at bible camp about obedience?
"Obedience is the very best way
To show that you believe:
Doing exactly what the Lord commands,
Doing it happily.
Action is the key--do it immediately,
The joy you will receive!
Obedience is the very best way
To show that you believe.
O-B-E-D-I-E-N-C-E (Yes, sir!)
Obedience is the very best way
To show that you believe."
I have been thinking about this concept of being obedient lately. Why is it such a good way to show that you believe? Why is it that Christians can be set apart by their obedience? I started to Google the word obedience in relevance of the scripture and I found this:
Obey – The Biblical word for “obey” comes from the Greek “hupakou” which means to listen attentively; by implication to heed or conform to a command or authority. This word conveys the idea of actively following a command. There is no choice in the matter, it is to be done whether one agrees with it or not. Obedience is involuntary.
As Christians we are called to obey-whether we like it or not. It is kind of like being a child and having to do what our parents say. We ask why and they say the classic line: "Because I said so". We don't like it but we do it because we live under a hierarchical system where mom and dad are the head of the household and we as children have to obey them. I don't know about you but when I did not obey my parents there were some consequences. My life was not as pleasant when I did not obey. However, when I did obey them I was blessed. Sometimes I did not see those blessing right away but 10 plus years later I am feeling blessed in certain areas for obeying my parents when I was a child.
The same goes for us as children of God. God asks us to obey Him and His commands. He tells us that if we love Him we will do this. (John 15:14). But just like there were consequences for me as a child under my parents household, there are consequences for me as a child of God as well. There are worldly and physical consequences and there is the loss of blessings as well. We see this in scripture:
Numbers 20:7-12 … and the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, “Take the staff, and assemble the congregation, you and Aaron your brother, and tell the rock before their eyes to yield its water. So you shall bring water out of the rock for them and give drink to the congregation and their cattle.” And Moses took the staff from before the LORD, as he commanded him. Then Moses and Aaron gathered the assembly together before the rock, and he said to them, “Hear now, you rebels: shall we bring water for you out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand and struck the rock with his staff twice, and water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their livestock. And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not believe in me, to uphold me as holy in the eyes of the people of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land that I have given them.”
Judges 2:1-3 Now the angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bochim. And he said, “I brought you up from Egypt and brought you into the land that I swore to give to your fathers. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall break down their altars.’ But you have not obeyed my voice. What is this you have done? So now I say, I will not drive them out before you, but they shall become thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.”
Joshua 5:6 For the people of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness, until all the nation, the men of war who came out of Egypt, perished, because they did not obey the voice of the LORD; the LORD swore to them that he would not let them see the land that the LORD had sworn to their fathers to give to us, a land flowing with milk and honey.
Nehemiah 9:20, 26-27 You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst. “Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies. Therefore you gave them into the hand of their enemies, who made them suffer. (Israel confessing their sins to the LORD)
Romans 2:6-8 He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
On the flip side of this though is good news. If we obey God not only do we bring Him glory and add to his kingdom but we receive worldly and heavenly blessings as well from Him.
Genesis 22:17-18 I will surely bless you, and I will surely multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is on the seashore. And your offspring shall possess the gate of his enemies, and in your offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, because you have obeyed my voice.” (The LORD speaking to Abraham through an angel)
Proverbs 13:13 Whoever despises the word brings destruction on himself, but he who reveres the commandment will be rewarded.
Psalms 1:1-2 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Luke 11:28 But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and keep it!” (Jesus speaking)
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
It is always better to walk in the ways of the Lord. Obeying Him allows us to do this. It may be hard and we may not always agree. We might be able to justify why we could or should disobey and when our flesh is weak it might even sound "biblical". We are called to something higher as Christians and we should not abuse grace. As a friend of mine put it- just because we get a clean slate each morning does mean we should dirty it up as much as we can the night before. Obeying God is a good thing. Obeying Him sets us apart from other non believers and even some believers. It truly is the best way to show that you believe.
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