1 Peter 1:14

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn’t know any better then.

DL Moody, the famous Victorian preacher, once said: “There will be no peace in any soul until it is willing to obey the voice of God.” The problem with the word obedience is that we are inclined to see it as restrictive. But think of how we look after our children and grandchildren. Time and again we have to insist on obedience in order to keep the children safe and secure. When they want to dash across a road without looking, or to go out on a cold day without a coat, we will ensure that they obey our requests. They may well grumble but we are content with that because we know that our words are loving and wise.

When God tells us to obey his rules, the child in us will sometimes cry out: “but I want to do it my way”. We want to follow our own selfish agenda. But God has a better way for us and that is entirely found through obedience to him. When Jesus spoke to his disciples just before his crucifixion, he told them that they were like branches and that he was the vine. Only through being continually connected to the vine could they be fruitful, and that depended entirely upon obedience. He said: “When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you” (John 15:10-12).

The result of obeying God will inevitably be experiencing joy. At times we will struggle with it, but obeying God is always the way to find life and to be able to pass it on to others too.

Question

What will it mean for you to be obedient to God today?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, forgive me that I still love to do things in my own way. Help me to discover the blessing and freedom of living in obedience to you. Amen