How do you feel about the word obedience? Many of our initial feelings may include: restraint, control, or even weakness. Due to the negative emotions that we’ve attached to obedience, it’s no surprise that we tend to rebel. As Christians, however, we must adjust our mindset toward obedience and realize that obedience pays off.
Obedience requires sacrifice.
In order to obey God, you must sacrifice something. Most of the time this something is our own will. Fighting and resisting our own will is likely one of the toughest battles we face. It can be hard to yield to another, and not do what you want. In order to do this, we need a few things, including:
- Humility
- Understanding
- Love
- Faith
Humility allows us to give up control and pride. Understanding gives us the awareness that God knows best. Love motivates us because we realize just how much He gave up for us. Faith moves us to simply do what He says because we believe Him.
Obedience is beneficial for us.
It’s imperative for us to adjust our mindset and accept obedience for the blessing that it is. Consider your own children. Do they always agree with what you say? Do they always get it? Of course not, yet, we still want them to listen to us. We want them to understand that we see some things that they don’t see because of our experience and position in their lives. We want them to trust us and know that obedience pays off.
Our relationship with God works the same way. His wisdom, insight, and understanding is far above what we can even comprehend. Psalm 139:6 says:
“Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain to it.”
Consider Isaiah 55:8-9:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Acknowledging God’s wisdom should move us to obey.
It is humbling for us to accept that we cannot just do as we please. We are expert at justifying and rationalizing what we do, even if it is wrong. We must humble ourselves before the Lord and allow Him to grow us. God’s Word is the standard by which we must live, and yielding to it grows us.
Obedience pays off in growth.
As we yield and obey to God’s Word, not only will we see the fruit of growth, but we will see our perspective changed. I’ve often found that when I obey, out of my commitment to God, very quickly He will begin to bless me with understanding. When we disobey, we block growth and understanding, but as we obey, we grow both in our character and our understanding.
Lastly, and the most ultimate way that obedience pays off:
Obedience makes us more like Christ.
“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.”
– Romans 8:29
This is what our Christian walk is all about. Becoming more like Christ. We have to know that God’s will is to conform us to the image of His Son, and our obedience to Him is apart of this process. Consider all that Christ has done for us, and how His obedience paid off. Let His perfect example of humility and obedience change our mindset so that we will be moved obey God’s Word, realizing that obedience pays off.
With love,
