Choosing to obey sounds like a oxymoron. How do you "choose" to obey?
Choosing a lifestyle of obedience is one of the hardest I have had to do. The idea of surrendering any aspects of my life to someone else was (and still is) a little unsettling. I do it everyday, at work, at home, at church, in life in general... but I never really thought I had a choice in the matter. Obedience was just something I had to do, whether I wanted it or not.
I think I was so scared of this concept, because I didn't know who I was supposed to listen to. How do I know that I am obeying God's will for my life? I really don't have a clear answer to this question. Well, I kinda do, but I think I might be taken away in a straitjacket if I shared all the details (LOL). In uncertain times, I usually pray this very simple prayer:
"I pray Father God that I am following Your voice, and obeying Your commands".
Obedience to me is also about accountability. I firmly believe that God sent me people I need to be accountable to. I am thankful for them, they keep me on track. But if I really had to boil it down to one point, obedience just naturally derives from love. Don Miller said it best in his book: "Blue like jazz":
"When you don't love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them, you get pleasure from their pleasure and it makes it easy to serve" pg 14
Obedience to my Heavenly Father is a choice. It's a choice to know Him better and to love Him. Obedience just comes naturally (maybe not easily) from that.
EED
Choosing a lifestyle of obedience is one of the hardest I have had to do. The idea of surrendering any aspects of my life to someone else was (and still is) a little unsettling. I do it everyday, at work, at home, at church, in life in general... but I never really thought I had a choice in the matter. Obedience was just something I had to do, whether I wanted it or not.
I think I was so scared of this concept, because I didn't know who I was supposed to listen to. How do I know that I am obeying God's will for my life? I really don't have a clear answer to this question. Well, I kinda do, but I think I might be taken away in a straitjacket if I shared all the details (LOL). In uncertain times, I usually pray this very simple prayer:
"I pray Father God that I am following Your voice, and obeying Your commands".
Obedience to me is also about accountability. I firmly believe that God sent me people I need to be accountable to. I am thankful for them, they keep me on track. But if I really had to boil it down to one point, obedience just naturally derives from love. Don Miller said it best in his book: "Blue like jazz":
"When you don't love somebody, it gets annoying when they tell you what to do or what to feel. When you love them, you get pleasure from their pleasure and it makes it easy to serve" pg 14
Obedience to my Heavenly Father is a choice. It's a choice to know Him better and to love Him. Obedience just comes naturally (maybe not easily) from that.
EED
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