Obedience
Such a scary word. Simply mentioning it can send chills down the back of even well seasoned Christians. As believers, we typically understand what is required by obedience and what it could mean in our walk with God. We know that this could mean that we're about to put a bullet in the head of our free will...or does it?
Even though someone may swallow hard when obedience is brought up in conversation, a person more intimately familiar with our Father will sometimes get a look in their eyes like that of a person who is in love. You can see an innate sense of trust come from how they talk and act as they describe their relationship and experiences with the Lord. They are aware of something. Something that may make a casual observer believe there is a disconnect between the common idea of what "obedience" means and the response they get from someone in-love with Jesus.
Why is this?
Simply because someone in-love with God trusts in His Love.
1 John 4:17 - 18 (NLT) puts it best: "And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world. Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love."
Let me tell you a personal story. We were looking for a cheap car for our nephew that was living with us while he went to college. We found a nice older car that had a salvage title. Being raised around my grandpa that purchased wrecked cars, reconditioned and sold them, I wasn't scared away.
Come to find out, the lady that was selling the car went to our church. Her ex-husband, with his name on her previous car's title, had taken her only car right out from under her without any notice whatsoever. Having left her alone to be a single mom of three children, she got the 1st decent car she could get her hands on: a 2-door Honda Accord coupe.
Okay....as a parent of two beautiful girls, I've had to strap multiple car seats into the back seat of a car. Add a third seat of a visiting relative or friend, and it was like having an ADHD person solve a Rubic's Cube for the thousandth time. I can only imagine what this lady was going through every day.
When my wife and I prayed about what we should pay her for the car, we felt the Lord tell us to pay her the full asking price. We did obey, although reluctantly at first; however we knew He had a greater purpose. We told her what the Lord had put on our heart and what we felt was His message of love, provision, and protection for her life. Her heart was really touched. With the money we gave her, she was able to put a good down-payment on a SUV that would be much more suitable for her and her three kids.
When I went to get the car inspected so we could get it registered, I found out that we needed to have about $300 dollars in repairs done before the car could pass inspection. I was angry, first at myself and then at God. I went so far as to ask the Lord why did we have to pay full price for that "dumb car". I told Him that it wasn't worth it. Yeah...I had an adult temper tantrum.
A few months later, my nephew wrecked the car. Totaled it. My wife and I had really felt in our hearts that we were supposed to buy this car, so why had we gone through all of this? If the car was going to be totaled within 3 months of buying the car, why go through all of this frustration?
When everything was said and done, the insurance company gave us $50 more than what we had paid for the car. Am I saying that God caused the car to be wrecked? By no means. He is a good God that knows how to "work all things out for the good..." (By the way, no nephew was harmed in the making of this story.)
We knew right away that all of this was to show a hurting single mom that God loved her, knew where she was at in life, and that He would provide for her. He wanted to show her that because of His love for her, that even though her ex-husband had abandoned her, He would not.
You have a God-given purpose and calling on your life. To fulfill that purpose, nothing less than passionate obedience is required. Are you willing to sacrifice your self-will to God in order to spread His love, or will you insist on your own desires? Will "common sense" be your lord, or will you obey Him in the simplest of things, even when "common sense" says something different? Will you be a "fan" of God, or a committed follower?
Remember, we are His hands and feet. When your Heavenly Father asks you to be obedient, rest assured that He's looking to use you as a channel of His wonderful love. Just watch and see, your obedience will not only greatly touch people around you, but it will settle your heart even more than ever before that your Heavenly Daddy passionately loves you and has your back, even when you don't understand what He is up to.
