Obedience is about discovering more of God, not avoiding negative consequences
Isaiah 50:4-10 (KJV)
4 The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
5 The Lord God hath opened mine ear, and I was not rebellious, neither turned away back.
6 I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
7 For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be ashamed.
8 He is near that justifieth me; who will contend with me? let us stand together: who is mine adversary? let him come near to me.
9 Behold, the Lord God will help me; who is he that shall condemn me? lo, they all shall wax old as a garment; the moth shall eat them up.
10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.
Christians sometimes approach obedience as a way to avoid the negative consequences of disobedience. When this happens, obedience becomes a heavy burden. But God intended our walk of faith to be a thrilling adventure, motivated by our love for Jesus Christ and our desire to please Him. Obedience is about discovering more of God, not avoiding negative consequences.
The reason we equate doing God’s will with burden is that we tend to think of all the weighty decisions we might need to make. Yet the Lord doesn’t give us something He knows we can’t handle. Our obedience in the smaller matters of life prepares us for bigger ones. When we place trust in the omnipotence of the Lord and act on His prompting, life becomes exciting. We need not be fearful because God already knows the outcome of our obedience—and He promises that He does everything for our good (Rom. 8:28).
We know that if we take one step in obedience, we’ll be asked to take another. That’s why walking in faith is so thrilling—each step is leading to a fantastic blessing from almighty God. Though we sometimes think the situations are unrelated, the Lord continuously moves us through a variety of circumstances toward His overriding purpose for our lives.
If we become fearful of consequences and back off from obedience for the sake of safety, we deprive God of the opportunity to demonstrate His awesome power in us. Small choices may seem insignificant, but they lead toward a lifetime of walking with God. As you walk into this new year, ask yourself, What is my next step of obedience?
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