11/8/11 12:03 a.m.
Obedience. Joy. Peace. They are connected. You can have all three. I set them before you. Choose obedience and by so doing you also choose joy and peace. May joy and peace be yours, the joy and peace only I can give. Not that of the world but that of the Divine. Choose obedience over sacrifice. Obedience is key.
11/14/11 3:24 a.m.
Obedience. This is what I ask for. Consistent obedience yields peace and joy. You will see, and you will be glad. Obey always and these gifts will be yours.
8/30/14 4:00 a.m.
Obedience is key and is more valuable than sacrifice. Obey My commands My child and feel freedom. My commands are not burdensome. My commands are for your safety and protection. They are laced with love for your well-being. Follow My commands and success will be yours today.
Obedience. Parents expect it of their children, teachers of their students, and the legal system of citizens. Disobedience offends the lawmaker and, when it is rampant, chaos often ensues. Those who are obedient often receive accolades while those caught disobeying are punished. Punishment is rightfully painful. It is a means of encouraging obedience.
Laws serve to create order, teachers want us to grow and learn, and parents seek our success and protection. God wants these things too. It’s not that difficult to understand. Yet, many of us still disobey.
In my ‘About This Blog’ page, I shared my ‘delay’ in obedience in starting this blog. In my confession, I described how fear had led to my disobedience. In fearing man more than God, I disobeyed the only One I should fear. You see, when we repeatedly disobey God’s commands or what we believe He is calling us to do, we risk receiving His discipline.
Sometimes God’s discipline is obvious. Other times it is not. In His quest to set us back on a straight path, God’s discipline may be something painful that he causes us to endure, or He may withhold something that we deeply desire. In the Old Testament, we see God’s discipline for blatant and recurring disobedience when He sends the Israelites into the captivity of their enemies. They are exiled from their own land and scattered where they are oppressed by other nations. This discipline causes the Israelites to consider their ‘ways’ and turn back to the Lord for rescue and freedom.
Another sober example of discipline from the Old Testament is when the Israelites disobeyed God in the desert. God had miraculously rescued them from slavery to Egypt and promised to bless if they were obedient to His laws. On their way to the land God promised their ancestors, the Israelites complained and rebelled on several occasions, including the worship of other gods. The Israelites also feared the ‘giants’ who inhabited the land they were promised not believing they (i.e. God) could defeat them. As a result, God caused the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years. He allowed all (except two who believed) who were rescued from Egypt to die before entering the land they so eagerly anticipated.
God continues to discipline His disobedient children today. In my ‘Growing Pains’ post, I talked about a sleep disorder that practically debilitated me for close to a year. I believe that sleep disorder, which I still suffer from today, could be the result of my disobedience. I didn’t say so in that post because it was part of another story… this story. And while this correlation may sound silly on the surface, allow me to explain my reasoning.
In other posts, I told you of my recurring challenges concerning high expectations of people and how I struggle most with those who are selfish and arrogant. I have had this issue of being ‘judgmental’ for many, many years. Even typing it causes me embarrassment. Judgmentalism is not something anyone wants to admit. But if I am going to be ‘obedient’ in maintaining this blog, I owe it to God and to you to be completely transparent.
I mentioned above that God will discipline repeated disobedience. I’ve known for a long time that I do not love all people as I should. I have even prayed for God to change me, but I haven’t always been faithful in fulfilling my part of that change. I would pray for a while and then forget about it for a longer while. I would try to be more loving in the beginning, but then allow something else to distract those efforts. Make no mistake, none of us are able, on our own, to change without the power of God. But change takes two. How could I expect God to change me when I was only half invested? It’s like asking God to send me a paycheck when I’m not willing to work.
Since I was not consistent in praying for and intentionally working on my character flaw of judgment, I never did get past it. Yet, God wills for me to change. He knows I desire to serve Him, but He also knows not loving as I should hinders my effectiveness. It dishonors His name and dilutes my influence. For my good and for His glory, God wants me to experience real and lasting change. And since God has convicted me multiple times concerning this sin, to no avail, I believe He is using discipline to help me take it more seriously.
I have always slept wonderfully… up until I didn’t. When I started experiencing frequent awakenings at the age of 39, there was no logical explanation. My doctor did not even consider sending me for a sleep study until almost a year after the onset. Up until the study, we tried everything without success. When the sleep study confirmed I had hypopnea, it was quite a surprise. Generally, hypopnea and its counterpart, sleep apnea, are caused by obesity, enlarged tonsils, excessive overbite, menopause, smoking, and other things I did not have or do. My doctor was puzzled.
I told you I began using a CPAP machine following my hypopnea diagnosis and began sleeping well again. This was true for the first few months. In under a year, my recurring awakenings returned, even while using the CPAP machine. At this point I began to pray for God to reveal the reason. A short time later, I went on a personal retreat in the mountains. I was alone with the Lord for 5 days studying His Word, praying, worshiping, journaling, and listening. During my time there, I prayed fervently for answers. I wanted to know if the sleep disorder was the result of sin.
It’s difficult to appreciate the experience of a Jesus-focused retreat unless you’ve been on one (or something similar). When you give God your undivided time and attention, He responds in profound and amazing ways. During this retreat, I felt very strongly that God was, once again, reminding me that I was carelessly judgmental. And, once again, I found myself weeping over my sinfulness.
At this point, I had been journaling “messages” in the middle of the night for just a few months. Following my confession, I woke up in the wee hours of the morning. As usual, I picked up my pen and paper prepared to journal. But the night was empty with silence. I waited. Minutes passed and, still, nothing. I began to pray. Lord, what is it that you want me to do? I am awake and listening. Not a second passed. I can’t explain it, but I spontaneously knew God wanted me to leave my CPAP mask on the nightstand and lay my head back on the pillow without it. I quickly fell asleep and didn’t awake again until morning, refreshed and rejuvenated. I have not used a CPAP machine since that retreat.
Perhaps God felt the weight of my confession, and this was His way of responding. I really can’t say for sure. I just know it was a blessing. But my confession was only the beginning of my growth journey. Obedience following confession is critical in our walk with God. As you know from prior posts, I still fall short in my genuine love for others. Although I no longer use a CPAP machine, I still wake up more than desired in the wee hours of the morning. The awakenings are less frequent, and they no longer debilitate me, but it’s rare for me to feel 100% refreshed. Deep down, I know I am not where God wills me to be. Perhaps that’s why my sleep is not where I will it to be. A constant reminder of my disobedience when it comes to others.
Though it’s only recent, I do now have a genuine and consistent desire to love others sincerely and completely. I pray for it on a regular basis and monitor myself both during and following frustrating interactions. Lasting and consistent change takes time, especially when you have carried certain behaviors for years. But I believe I will attain this change because I am, at last, ‘all in’. My will is now in line with the Lord’s when it comes to His people, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to grow in this area. I can already see God softening my heart toward others as I seek to understand from their perspective and, more importantly, from the perspective of Jesus who died for all of us.
Absent God speaking to me audibly, I may never know for sure if my sin of judgment and disobedience dealing with it is the cause of my sleep issues. Regardless, the fact remains I have a sin problem that needed addressing. Even if I’m wrong about my sleep, if it ‘woke me up’ to take my disobedience seriously, then it’s all for good and not evil.
In the book of Hebrews, the author warns Christian believers to pay careful attention to what they have heard and learned about the Supremacy and salvation of Jesus… so that they do not drift away from the truth. In the “Christ-Centered Exposition” commentary, Mohler makes the important point that there is no such thing as standing still in the Christian life. There are those who are paddling toward and those who are paddling away from Jesus. Then there are those who are not paddling at all. They are drifting due to doing nothing.
We must row toward Jesus, against the tide of culture, lest we drift away. In other words, we need to intentionally pay attention to and obey the Word of God. Hearing the Word of God but not obeying guarantees we will drift away spiritually until we find ourselves far from the Lord.
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do. (James 1:22, 25 NIV)
Judging others is a very real current in our world that I need to paddle against to ensure I am no longer swept up in it. By doing nothing, I allowed myself to drift from the command of God to love His people. Whatever way the Father chooses to reveal my disobedience, I thank Him for His discipline.
While God will discipline for continued disobedience, He also loves to reward obedience, both this side of heaven and in eternity. While I believe our key focus should be on obtaining rewards in heaven, on things that are eternal, I will first share some examples of blessings I have experienced on earth, since God often chooses to give both.
I remember a time early in my career when I was miserable due to poor treatment by one of my superiors. This woman, who I will call Becky, was well known for her harsh character. If she liked you, you were fine but if she didn’t, look out! Becky had a strong dislike for auditors and, since I had been an auditor immediately before I began supporting her team, she simply did not like me.
After supporting Becky for almost a year, a higher-level position opened within the company. I decided to apply for it. Anything to get away from Becky! I was interviewed by the executive overseeing the open position and the interview went well. He encouraged me to sleep on it. If I were still interested, he would have me meet with the president of the division.
That evening, I prayed over the potential new role and continued praying the next morning. Part way through the day, I had an overwhelming feeling that I was not meant to pursue the new position. I had the sense that I was prematurely ‘running’ from a tough situation that God was not yet ready to release me from. I desperately wanted to be released, so this was not the answer I was hoping for. But the feeling was too strong. I reluctantly told the executive who had interviewed me that I was withdrawing my application.
Two weeks later, I heard that division of the company was told to cut costs, so Executive Management decided not to fill the open position but, instead, to eliminate it! I can’t imagine how embarrassed I would have been had I continued pursuing the role and then had to crawl back to the place I was hoping to escape from. And to top it off, just a few months later, I was approached by management to take on another role within the company, and I gladly accepted. In my new role, I was shown great respect and favor by both my Supervisor and the more senior management team above me. God’s blessing was plentiful!
A few years later, after Joe and I were married, we celebrated paying off our small house. We loved and felt blessed by this home. Still, because of our love for hospitality, we had a desire for a larger one. Our current home could only accommodate a couple of people for dinner due to a small eating area, and the yard was almost nonexistent. We excitedly began discussing the purchase of a new house that would meet our hospitality aspirations. But about a month into this discussion, I felt a strong pull to put our savings toward something else. I shared my thoughts with Joe and, together, we prayed about it.
After a couple of weeks, we concluded we were not meant to buy the new house. We needed to be obedient to where we felt the Lord was leading us. I was disappointed but reminded myself that our current home was plenty for the two of us and God would provide a larger home in His timing. We agreed to remove the new house from our current thinking.
Six months later, God blessed us abundantly! During annual merit increases and bonus timing, I received not only an above average raise, but the largest bonus of my career. At about the same time, Joe worked for a small company that did not give annual merits, but he was unexpectedly given one. I was astonished! Joe and I were now able to buy a larger home.
Today, our goal is to use the larger home God has blessed us with for His glory, to share both what we’ve been given physically as well as the love of Jesus. We host a Bible Study group and, although we do not have children, we have space for a designated playroom for childcare during the studies. We also enjoy inviting both small and large groups of neighbors and friends for cookouts and bonfires, as well as indoor celebrations such as Thanksgiving and Easter. God has blessed us indeed!
I don’t want to give the impression that God’s blessings for obedience will come within a short period of time or will always be immediately noticeable. Sometimes, years pass and sometimes we do not see visible blessing at all. Other times blessings are subtle, yet incredible. For example, following God’s will (obedience) activates His power in our lives (blessing #1) and shapes us into the person we were created to be. Since God’s will is perfect, the person we were created to be is the best possible person we can be (blessing #2). We were created for a meaningful purpose. Knowing and living out that purpose leads to peace and joy (blessing #’s 3 & 4)!
I also want to point out that we should not be obedient to the commands of God purely for earthly blessing. Don’t get me wrong, I love, appreciate, and even want God’s earthly blessings but I do not obey Him for the sake of those blessings. God wants us to obey Him because we have come to know, love, and trust His ways, whether we are rewarded or not. He wills that we come to a place where our obedience is not out of hope for earthly blessing, or fear of punishment, but because of who He is. We are content to obey a righteous and loving God.
Sometimes following God’s will requires sacrifice. While the outcome of obedience is always favorable in the end, obedience itself is not always easy. But it is an act of worship that sets us apart as Christians. In becoming the person we were created to be, we become more like Christ and, through this, God is glorified. We honor God with our lives! When we honor God with our lives, we point others to Jesus, the One who gives and sustains life. These, my friend, are definitions of true success! And these will earn you the best blessings, treasures in heaven.
Rewards in heaven are the greatest and most important blessings because they will last for eternity. That is why the bible tells us we should live our lives with an eye toward eternity. If our focus is on things eternal, our heart will be there also. Life on earth is but a speck in eternity. A speck. Like a grain of sand on the seashore and a drop of water in the ocean, life on earth is a mere breath compared to eternity. Here today, gone tomorrow.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6: 19-21 ESV)
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2 Corinthians 4:18 NIV)
Think of these heavenly blessings in terms of delayed gratification. Like receiving a college degree after four years of study, and retirement after years of working, rewards in heaven will be worth the wait… and far superior. Yes, our rewards in heaven, should we choose to pursue them, will be beyond our imagination. Plus, we will be enjoying them for eternity in the very presence of Jesus!
To be clear, I would like to pause to mention an important difference between salvation (living in eternity with God) and the rewards we receive while we are there (treasures in heaven). Salvation comes only through ‘belief’ in the saving and finished work of Jesus. There is nothing we can do to earn it.
God is a pure, perfect, and righteous God who cannot live in the presence of sin. And we humans have all sinned. God is also a just God… therefore, all sin will receive a just penalty, which is death. That’s the bad news. Now here’s the good news: Jesus willingly took our sins upon Himself and suffered the penalty of death in our place. And because our debt for sin has been paid by Christ, we are purified by His blood. God sees our sin no more and we are, thereby, able to live with Him in eternity. This is the story of salvation.
Rewards in heaven, on the other hand, are earned by how we live today. Obediently following God’s will has favorable consequences for eternity. Consequences that are worth pursuing. Not pursuing these eternal rewards through obedience would be foolish because they are the only ones that are permanent!
And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. (1 Peter 5:4 NIV)
Our obedience also impacts others by showing them a different way to live. A way that is eternally better than the way of this world. A way that was opened by the obedience of Jesus Himself, obedience to the point of death. And through His death, the world was offered salvation. If Christ would not have obeyed, we would be dead in our sin. Just like Adam’s disobedience led us to death, Jesus’ obedience gave us life!
Are you living in obedience with an eye toward heaven or do you chase the pleasures of this temporary world? Do you believe in eternity? On earth, we are living in a speck of eternity, but it is up to us to choose where and how we will live in eternity following the speck. I pray we choose wisely.
This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice, and hold fast to him. (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20a NIV)
However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived” the things God has prepared for those who love him. (1 Corinthians 2:9 NIV)