Obedience is a Gift

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In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome. - 1 John 5:3

Last month I explored how we can show our love for God through our actions, such as obeying His commands. The importance of obedience is highlighted throughout the Bible, and we have many examples of how positive and negative consequences are linked to it (or the lack of it).

While these examples are certainly instructive - many of them even form an important part of our theology - I think we can be tempted to focus more on the consequences associated with obedience/disobedience than on the reason why God gave us commandments in the first place.

It’s easy to reduce obedience to a “burdensome” requirement (opposite of what the scripture says above) you must meet to be a “good” Christian or at the very least to not make God angry. I know I’m guilty of this immature thinking at times. But as I mature spiritually, I’m becoming increasingly thankful for God’s commandments, because I realize they are a guardrail meant to help and protect me. Why should I resent the guidance of the Creator of the universe, who is all wise and all knowing?! (I certainly shouldn’t.) Who am I to think I know better than God?! (I certainly do not.) And don’t I want His “pro tips” to help me navigate life? (I certainly do.) When I look at obedience from this perspective, my resentment turns to gratitude, and I want to show Him my appreciation and love by following His commandments and encouraging others to do the same.

So here's a gentle nudge: try looking at God’s commandments as a gift to us instead of a hinderance. You might just change your perspective on following them.

Questions for Reflection:

1. What do you think of when you hear the term obedience? Do you think of it positively or negatively? Why is that?

2. I’m a very independent person, and I don’t really like anyone telling me what to do. I’ve had to temper my attitude on this to appreciate the wisdom behind God’s commandments so that following them becomes a joy and not a burden. Do you relate to my own struggle with this?