You’re Asking Me to Obey? Really? Why?

Obedience is so important to God. Jesus went as far as to say: “If you love Me you will obey My commands.”

There are times when obedience is like a windy path into the unknown. It’s frightening. It takes trust.

Careful for poison ivy.

For some people, the request to obey is as bad as a string of swear words and spit in the face. For some, the desire to do what they want, instead of obey, is so strong, so overwhelming, it supercedes the desire for relationship.

The desire to obey the rules can do the same thing.

So is there balance? Is it found in obeying sometimes and not other times?

And is it important who we obey?

I believe the answer to many of these questions, and a few others, can be found in one of the most famous stories Jesus ever told.

Luke 15:11-32 (NIV):

11 Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ 20 So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate.24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him.29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

31 “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”

Both sons disobeyed their father, each in their own way: one by blatant disrespect and the other by his anger at another’s disobedience  Both had their own brand of selfishness. Neither had relationship as a priority.

There is only One who has relationship as a priority all the time, and to that One we should obey. The Father always wants relationship with us to be restored. You can trust that and rely on it with your entire being.

Yet sometimes He asks us, as part of obedience to Him, to obey another *gulp* human being. That’s where it gets tricky.

There are a million trillion scenarios of ‘what if’ with that one. Most of the ones I think up aren’t that pretty.

When the possibilities are so frightening, why does He ask us to obey?

I have to confess, obedience is a sticky issue these days. And with good reason. When you obey another it gives them power over you. I don’t know about you, but that idea often makes my skin crawl.

I’d like to look at this from a different angle. What if obedience is another form of humility? In other words, if you want to be humble, practice obedience. This says, “I’m not the one with all the right answers.” It says, “I’m willing to put my relationship with you above the things I want to do right now, or with my life.”

I definitely don’t have all the answers to it, and there are times I REALLY wish I didn’t have to obey, but I’m thinking about it. Because Jesus deemed it extremely important.

What are your thoughts on obedience?

Enjoy some Keith Green while you share.