Choosing God’s way for a life of blessing and eternal reward.
What does it mean to live a life of obedience? From the beginning, God created mankind as free-willed moral agents. It is the power of choice that gives humanity the capacity to love. Obedience—choosing God’s way above our own—is the evidence and fruit of true love.
Necessity of Obedience
If we are to serve God and inherit eternal life, we must live lives of obedience to Him. Most people desire to live after their own selfish desires, which are contrary to God’s Word. God provided a wonderful plan through His Son, Jesus Christ, and through the Scripture. As our Creator, God’s plan and purpose for our lives will bring the greatest peace and fulfillment. However, we must deny ourselves, submit, and fully embrace divine instruction and leadership. Are you living in obedience to God’s will for your life?
First Act of Disobedience
God placed the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in the Garden of Eden. He told Adam and Eve: “Thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:17). God desires a relationship of love with His creation, and it was that tree that gave Adam and Eve the power to choose how they wanted to live life. Before their disobedience, they enjoyed the richness of life as God intended. Thinking they knew better, they disobeyed, which resulted in spiritual and physical death. In the same way, when we stray from God’s plan in disobedience, we distance ourselves from His presence in this life and in the life to come.
Obedience Is a Mark of True Love
Just as Adam and Eve were given divine commands, so also were the children of Israel. They were instructed to always keep God’s charge, statutes, judgments, and commandments (Deuteronomy 11:1). Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.” Keeping the commandments and following the leadings of the Spirit are imperative for living a Christian life. Many people profess Christ with their mouths, but their actions belie their verbal testimony. Jesus asked, “Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?”
(Luke 6:46).
What Motivates You?
Obedience is not about fear or bondage—it is the natural fruit of true love for God. Jesus taught clearly in John 14:23-24 that if someone loves Him, they will keep His words. Those who do not love Him will not keep His sayings. While seemingly basic, this teaching exposes people’s true experience with God.
The Wise and Foolish Man
Jesus taught that those who heard His teaching and followed it would be like a wise man who built his house on a firm foundation. He likened those who heard the Word and did not obey it to a foolish man who built his house on the sand. When the storms came, it was the wise man’s house that stood firm. It is our choice whether we will be wise or foolish.
The Challenge of Surrender
Obedience is defined as compliance with instructions and submission to another’s authority. A true Christian is to be in obedience to God’s will. “Submit yourselves therefore to God” (James 4:7). To obey God requires actively surrendering ourselves and elevating His will above our own. Too many professing Christians have not yielded their lives, dreams, and goals to God. While challenging at times, it is through total obedience that we find the greatest peace.
Trust Leads to Obedience
Proverbs 3:5-6 provides wonderful instruction and lays a proper foundation for obedience. “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” When we learn to trust in the Lord instead of relying on our own understanding, obedience becomes so much easier.
Blessings Will Follow
Obeying the Lord brings the blessings of God both in this life and in the life to come. “Blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it” (Luke 11:28). The prophet Isaiah declared: “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land” (Isaiah 1:19). This is not coerced obedience but voluntary obedience motivated by love. Jesus taught His disciples, “If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death” (John 8:51). He was referencing eternal death. If we obey Christ’s teaching, we will gain eternal life and enjoy the blessings of Heaven.
Examples of Obedience
The Bible is full of inspiring examples of lives lived in obedience. Abraham left his home without knowing where he was going, obeying the call of God. With instant obedience, he rose early in the morning, willing to sacrifice his son to God (Genesis 22:1-18). Paul, called to minister the gospel, declared, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision” (Acts 26:19). Noah, despite scorn and defying human logic, did “according to all God commanded” (Genesis 6:22) when he built the ark. That obedience became his salvation, just as it will be ours. Christ Himself “became obedient unto death” (Philippians 2:8). That obedience came at a great cost. He set an example when He prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). Until we can pray that prayer, we will never find the grace to bear our personal cross and achieve a glorious resurrection.
Consequences of Disobedience
For those who choose not to obey the Lord in all things, there are also consequences. God told the Israelites, “So shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the LORD your God” (Deuteronomy 8:20). Paul lists some of the deeds of unrighteousness and offers a serious warning: “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience” (Ephesians 5:5-6). Disobedience leads to eternal death. Will it be worth living according to the flesh and following our passions only to end up in hell?
Obedience Better Than Sacrifice
God’s judgment led King Saul to lose his kingship because of disobedience. 1 Samuel 15:1-23 tells the solemn story of Saul being instructed to destroy all the Amalekites’ animals after battle. Saul spared some and offered them as sacrifices to God. When the prophet Samuel arrived, he asked, “What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep?” Samuel told Saul, “To obey is better than sacrifice.” God rejected King Saul, just as He will reject those who disobey Him. All excuses, justifications, and even sacrifices mean nothing when there is disobedience.
Examples of Disobedience
The Scriptures are full of other examples worthy of study: the disobedient prophet in 1 Kings 13 who deviated from God’s instructions and was slain by a lion; and Jonah, who fled from God and ended up in the belly of a fish. Disobedience is not worth the cost.
Living in Obedience
The Lord calls us to live “as obedient children” (1 Peter 1:14) and to dwell in Him (1 John 3:24) by keeping His commandments. Jesus sent His disciples out with a commission to “Teach all nations…teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you”
(Matthew 28:19-20). Partial obedience falls short. We are to be “obedient in all things”
(2 Corinthians 2:9). When pressures and influences encourage wrongdoing, “We ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
Self-examination
“Whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are” (Romans 6:16). Who are we obeying? Whose servants are we? Let us say “no” to self and submit ourselves to God. Let us, like David, ponder our ways and turn our feet to God’s testimonies. David “made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments”
(Psalm 119:59-60). Are we being obedient in all things? If we love God, let us keep His commandments, for “His commandments are not grievous” (1 John 5:3). They are the avenue to blessings, peace, and eternal life. ■
