Tag Archives: obedience

April 23
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“But Samuel replied: ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.'” (I Samuel 15:22, NIV)

The adage, “It is better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission,” has no traction in a disciple’s relationship with his or her heavenly Father.

Like any good parent, God wants you and me to be obedient to His will and to His way because disobedience’s true price is a sacrifice of another sort: Sacrificed time, sacrificed opportunities, sacrificed relationships that might have sustained us and, most notably, sacrificed intimacy with our Father, God and Creator.

In the economy of heaven, simple obedience is always preferable to our most extravagant “make-ups” and “make-goods” for our willful disobedience. “To obey is better than sacrifice.”  – Luther

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April 20
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“Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, ‘Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.’ And Saul offered up the burnt offering.” (I Samuel 13:7b-9, NIV)

The prophet Samuel had told Saul to wait for his arrival. As Saul waited for the man of God to arrive, things began to get tight: Many of his soldiers deserted. Those who remained were filled with fear.

So, Saul took matters into his own hands — in direct opposition to what he had been told, and knew from experience to be true. The fallout of Saul’s disobedience was severe.

Like Saul, we are also at times pressed to act contrary to God’s will and to God’s word.  Sometimes, it is because our situation seems grim and begs for action.  Sometimes, it is because the expectations of others influences our resolve to stand fast.

However, to be a faithful disciple of Jesus means to stand where God has placed us; or to do what God has told us.  Resolve to stand in faithful obedience to God until hell freezes over — then stand on the ice!  – Luther

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April 8
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“The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, ‘I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.’ Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this?” (Judges 2:1-2, NIV)

Resonant in this scripture — which recounts the disobedience of the Children of Israel when they did not utterly subdue the inhabitants of the Promised Land, but allowed them to coexist with them in the land, albeit as “servants” or “slaves” — is the peril of allowing anything that is ungodly to inhabit our lives.

The problem with allowing any ungodly thought or deed to persist in one’s life — even in a small, seemingly insignificant way — is that after a while the “slave” becomes the master; and the “servant” becomes the one that is served.

In the case of the Children of Israel, it wasn’t too very long before they were worshiping at the pagan altars and adopting forbidden practices. I am sure that their chosen courses of action seemed enlightened at the time, but the outcome of disobedience to God is always the same: Our own (eventual) destruction.

Today, choose life.  Choose God.  None of us shall ever find peace by considering disobedience to God; or by accommodating sinful thoughts.  – Luther

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