Day 16
I find more joy in following what you tell me to do than in chasing after all the wealth of the world Ps 119:14
I struggled a lot with obedience in the past, I was a rebel against authority and it influenced how I responded to the word of God over my life. To my limited understanding, obedience sometimes felt like I had to switch off my thinking faculty and follow like a zombie or put on a show to prove I was a good little child and I did not like that.
Over the years, God has helped change my flawed thinking. Now I realize that God desires for me to be a co-laborer (1 Cor 3:9) with Him and not a zombie and it is my joy to honor Him because He is worthy. Through the help of the Holy Spirit, I understood that God sees the end from the beginning and therefore knows all things. Some of the things that have helped me shift from grudgingly obeying to delightfully obeying include:
My understanding of God increased (the more i know who He is, the more i realize that He is faithful and His words can be relied upon)
Being honest with myself about my limitations (once i started to see who God is and compared myself to Him, I realized I did not know anything and had allowed myself to suffer unnecessary consequences by ignoring His instructions)
Evidence of His goodness in my life and the life of others (I noted the different outcomes between my own way and His, I listened to the testimonies of other believers and studied the life of people in the bible) and judged Him faithful to be trusted
At the core of obedience is trust and humility. Do I trust God to be there for me and do what’s good for me? Do I truly believe that He knows more than I do concerning any matter?
Sometimes we feel that God is punishing us for disobedience but the fall out is usually just a consequence of our actions. He is a good God and loves all His children so the desires of His heart will always be for our good but it’s up to us. If God is instructing me on a path to go, it will always lead to a good end but if I don’t listen, I get myself in trouble. For example, if I tell you not to go to Wuse 2 because I am aware that robberies are happening but you go anyway and get robbed. You did not get robbed because I sent robbers to you but because you ignored solid advice. This is not to say we should obey only because of rewards (although He does reward) but because He has commanded us to do so and it pleases Him. I’m pleased when I tell my loved ones to do something and they honor me by doing it rather than second guessing me at every point.
I was fascinated as I read Numbers Ch 7 because Moses repeats the same instructions 12 times for the 12 tribes of Israel. It seems like he could just summarize right? But God was specific and Moses obeyed as God commanded. When God tells us what to do, we need to fully obey being mindful of His specific instructions, the details matter.
Obedience to God will always be for our own good. However it is essential for us to have revelation of who God is. A revelation available to all who choose to behold and see, a revelation that cannot come without the intention to know more of Him. The more you trust and know God and His essence, the more you follow Him closely.