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What is your reaction to Bible verses about obedience?
As a child, when I heard “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Eph. 6:1), I was quick to point out verse 4, “Fathers, do not exasperate your children...” What I did not yet realize was the value of the second part of verse 4, “instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.” And when I did my part in obedience, I facilitated the training and instruction God was providing through my parents.
We each have our part in obedience. If the elbow doesn’t do her part, the hand cannot be there to do hers. So it is with each of the members of the body... No one has the same gifts and talents as another, but when we are obedient to do our part, the church functions as a complete unit.
However, obedience according to our gifts is tricky. Our talents or a lack of talent in a certain area cannot be an excuse to not do what God has commanded each of us to do. Our obedience may look different, but God knows and tests the heart.
One of the most classic examples of this particular obedience excuse (based on talents) is related to the Great Commission, found in Matthew 28:18-20.
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
“Go...” But God did not call me to be a missionary.
“And make disciples of all nations...” Short-term missions is not something I can do either.
“Baptizing them...” I don’t know enough Bible to study with someone about how to become a Christian.
“Teaching them to observe all I have commanded you...” But I don’t obey it all myself, so how can I teach someone else to observe His commands?
Let’s put some of these things in a different light:
Go and fix dinner, serving healthy, tasty food, and inviting others to share in the meal together.
“Go...” At the very least, you must get off your bum.
“And fix dinner...” Does it have to be from scratch?
“Serving healthy, tasty food...” I never learned how to cook, so healthy and tasty are a challenge for me.
“Inviting others to share in the meal together...” Yeah, if I don’t want to eat the food I cook, why would I want to invite someone else to eat it?!
How would you answer someone who presents these excuses for fixing dinner or for making disciples?
GO does not imply a destination, but rather an action.
MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS. 1 Corinthians 3 affirms that God is the one who brings the growth after we plant seed and water it. And while it is important to travel and spread the gospel to all nations, many of those nations are represented in our neighborhoods, classrooms, grocery stores, and everyday interactions.
BAPTIZING THEM IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, THE SON, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT. Are you living a baptized life: Dead to self and alive with Christ; repentant from sin and walking in the light? Are you seeking opportunities to share the good news and inviting others into the resurrected life through baptism? “Lead me to some soul today” is a favorite prayer song to grow in obedience in this area.
AND TEACHING THEM TO OBSERVE ALL THAT I HAVE COMMANDED. Whether modeling the cooking and preparation of a recipe or modeling the Christian walk, teaching is a life-long endeavor. Teaching is about relationship and teaching takes time, vulnerability, and investment in the person.
I am grateful for those who modeled such obedience. There is a part of my spirit that is not at peace if I am not studying the Bible with a non-Christian. I take no credit for this disquiet. Being mentored by evangelists and individuals who took the Great Commission seriously (Matt. 28:18-20), an expectation was created for obedience to that commandment.
They were obedient to do their part, enabling me to do my part. And when I am obedient to do my part, I facilitate the opportunity for others to be obedient, as well. What other examples come to mind about our part in obedience helping others be obedient?
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Written by Monica Dye, volunteer with Iron Rose Sister Ministries in Siloam Springs, AR.
Obedience is a word we often don’t like to hear. We are taught that we obey rules starting at a very young age. We learn that if we do not obey there are consequences. And usually those consequences are negative. So, we learn to obey the rules to avoid negative things happening to us such as spankings, lectures, speeding tickets, etc.
But what does God teach us about obedience? Proverbs 10:17 ESV states, “Whoever heeds instruction is on the path to life, but he who rejects reproof leads others astray." So, God is telling us that obedience leads to life. And if we reject correction (reproof), we lead others astray. But what does He mean by “lead us to life”? Does it mean if we don’t obey rules then we won’t live? Does it mean we will have a bad life? Yes! At least in a way. Think back to those consequences you had for disobedience when you were little. When were you living your best life? When you were in trouble, or when you were obeying? I dare say most of us were happier when we were obeying the rules. At least we knew we would not be harmed. We felt safer.
Guess what, God still wants us to obey even now that we are grown. But it’s no longer just to avoid negative consequences. God wants us to obey to give us joy! Read Psalm 40:8 ESV. “I delight to do your will, O God; your law is within my heart.” God’s law is in our hearts! We obey because we love God. We obey because it gives us joy to serve God. We delight to obey God!
But what about right now? The law makers of the country are telling us to stay inside. They are telling us to not even go to worship with our church families. Should we obey them? How can this be pleasing to God? How can this bring us joy? Well, sometimes obedience is not fun at the time. It’s not what we want to do at the moment. Sometimes obedience is painful, but necessary. Let’s look at Hebrews chapter 12 ESV. Verse two says Jesus is “the founder and protector of our faith and for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross." Did you read that? He endured the cross for the joy of promised heaven. He endured the cross so we could learn to obey when we don’t want to. Jesus did not enjoy the cross. But He knew obedience was necessary to make the sacrifice for our sins. He knew obedience was necessary to obtain future joy for all of us.
God wants us to obey! He knows it’s not always easy or fun. But He also knows that obedience now will bring us great joy in the end. So be joyful in your obedience to God.
Stay safe, Sisters! “Rejoice in the Lord always; I will say it again, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).