Obedience To God is An Expression of Love
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“But those who obey God’s word truly show how completely they love him. That is how we know we are living in him.” -- 1 John 2:5 (NLT)
When my kids were young, one of the parents in our community would say, “Delayed obedience is disobedience.” I understand why obedience should be quick and complete, but my kids were specialists in delayed obedience. If obedience in children only counted when it was immediate, then I would probably have an F in obedience training.
Over the years, I’ve remembered this statement and wondered about the benefits of immediate obedience. Children often take time to obey instructions, but aren’t we the same way when it comes to obeying God?
Noah must have gotten the message that delayed obedience is costly. As soon as God gave instructions for building the ark, Noah got to work.
“So, Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.” (Genesis 6:16, NLT)
But Noah might be the exception. Jonah responded quite differently from Noah. Jonah went in the opposite direction when God called him to Nineveh.
“But Jonah got up and went in the opposite direction to get away from the Lord. He went down to the port of Joppa, where he found a ship leaving for Tarshish. He bought a ticket and went on board, hoping to escape from the Lord by sailing to Tarshish.” (Jonah 1:3, NLT)
Jonah’s decision to disobey God caused him and others pain, showing that disobedience has serious consequences.
The obedience of many Bible characters and heroes was delayed or completely rejected.
King David disobeyed God, yet still wrote Scripture, which impacts us today.
“Then David sent messengers to get her; and when she came to the palace, he slept with her.” (2 Samuel 11:4, NLT)
Peter was willing to kill for Jesus in one moment, then showed disobedience by denying Him three times in the courtyard, but he is considered the rock on which the church is built.
“Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m lying—I don’t know the man!” And immediately the rooster crowed. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he went away, weeping bitterly.” (Matthew 26:74-75, NLT)
We learn from these Biblical stories and others that obedience to God is difficult, but immediately surrendering to God’s call is the best response to honor Him and live in Him.
Obedience tends to get a bad rap because it wrestles with our pride. Surrendering means turning away from what we want and turning towards what God is calling us to; that’s humility.
The key to obedience is remembering it is an expression of God’s love for us and our love for Him.
Jesus obeyed as a sacrifice for us. He could have walked away, but He chose to obey out of love for His father and us.
When obedience is reframed with love, it propels us to run to do what God is asking of us.
But we are flawed and make mistakes. If we delay obedience, God can still use us, but we may bring unexpected and undesired consequences that tend to ripple around us.
I hope you will join me in learning to obey God quickly, as Noah did. And when we fail, we can repent, surrender, and start again.
Questions for Reflection:
1. Do you believe that delayed obedience is disobedience? Why or why not?
2. Do you believe that disobedience to God can have serious consequences?
3. From your perspective, what is the key to being obedient to God?
