Obedience can feel like a catch 22, am I right? For instance, if we don’t respect someone, we don’t often want to obey them. Being obedient out of obligation can even build resentment within our heart. In cases of forced obedience, our human nature is to then take control of every little thing we can control. It’s a heart condition really, when we try to do everything we can to control the outcome of our lives, but it ultimately correlates to our level of trust in God. Do we believe that God has authority over everything and everyone in all of creation, or do we not fear God?
In Romans 13:1-2, obedience is addressed as it says, “Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.”
God demands obedience from all of the humans he created, regardless of age or gender. Children are commanded to obey their parents. Wives are commanded to obey their husbands. Everyone is commanded to obey God, their governing authorities, and their leaders.
What happens when we don’t have confidence in their ability to lead us? What happens when we don’t trust them?
It’s tricky, I understand. Obeying someone you don’t trust or respect can feel like a prison sentence, but even a prison sentence, a challenging marriage, a difficult time at school, or a troubling presidency is an opportunity to grow in our trust in God. (Hang in here, because this isn’t a political post, and it WILL be worth your time.)
God commands us to be obedient, so regardless of our confidence or trust in those he has placed in authority over us, we are to act in obedience. While that often isn’t an easy thing to do, we are to obey peaceably and even with joy in our hearts. We must submit to God in order to understand that we are willingly making a choice to steer clear of allowing resentment to grow through any feelings of obligation to obedience.
To simplify, if we feel like we HAVE to do something but don’t WANT to, then we will get cranky, but if we perceive that we WANT to do something because we trust that God has a bigger plan for our obedience, then we can be content to obey in all circumstances.
What if obedience has an even higher purpose than preparing our heart to have peace, joy and contentment in all things?
1 Peter 2:13-15 reads, “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people.”
What if our obedience is how God shows others how his kingdom was created to be?
What if our obedience, regardless of how much we trust someone or respect someone, shows others how to be right with God?
What if our obedience SILENCES THE IGNORANT TALK OF FOOLISH PEOPLE?
What if our obedience WINS OVER UNBELIEVERS without words by our behavior?
1 Peter 3:1-2 instructs, “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.”
PAY ATTENTION NOW… what if God commands obedience because it is the only way we will ever be made right with him? We are well aware that God wrote the Ten Commandments to point out the laws which needed to be obeyed in order to live rightly, but what if God also commanded obedience because that is the only way for his created humans to see his loving and perfect plan for his kingdom?
What if WE are the foolish people needing to be silenced and the unbelievers needing to be won over to see the love in God’s own heart, and the only way that could happen was for us to not only learn to be obedient, but to DECLARE THE POWER OF HEARTFELT OBEDIENCE… through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ?
Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous. — Romans 5:18-19