Obedience

Do you remember when you were little - your mom would call you by name and say, “I need you to go clean your room,” Or, “It’s time to go, let’s clean up.” It’s funny because in those moments we don’t really understand the importance of the lesson. I can recall my sisters’ voice saying to her second child, “Mallory – first time obedience.” This is a hard lesson to learn! I honestly believe that we will probably be trying to learn how to respond with first time obedience until the day we die. This is where I am currently. (Whoo-hoo!) God first brought it to my attention, my lack of first time obedience, a few Sunday’s ago when my Sunday school leader ‘surprised’ our class with an outing to Hemming Plaza. We were going to pass out breakfast and a bible to the homeless and needy. The main idea was not only to be radical but to be READY. Well – I failed. But the good thing that God brought about through that particular failure was the knowledge and understanding of obedience. When God prompts your heart – He is asking you to be obedient. When He tells you to go and do something – He’s asking you to be obedient. Obedience is a hard thing. I have recently been called to be obedient in certain areas where I have absolutely not wanted to do so. But as I thought about my options, obedience or disobedience, I realized that there was really only one choice. Jesus was obedient until the point of death. What makes me think that I am so holy that I should have to give anything less? The task God called me to do was hard. It was a mission to swallow my pride, a mission to do the right thing even though I knew it would not be received in a biblical manner. I found myself attempting to control the situation by putting it off for weeks, convincing myself that it wasn’t the right time because this certain thing was going to take place and therefore I would have to wait. (You see, apparently I forgot that my God controls all things.) But as I sat on a Wednesday night, writing out my thoughts, I realized that God was calling me to be obedient. I heard His voice. There was no doubt about what He wanted me to do. However, He never asked me to control the outcome; He just wanted me to go. I’m excited that God has given me the opportunity to learn. He has really been pressing my heart about my lack of tenacity towards sharing the gospel with the lost. I know that He is using this experience with obedience to prepare me for when that lack of tenacity turns into a slavishness towards the hopeless people that I come in contact with each and every day. “Lord, through Your grace and Your mercy – give me such a desire for You, Your word, and your World, that I may be privileged to be used by You that your Holiness and character may be known through me, a sinner.” Galatians 5:22-25 says, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who BELONG to Christ Jesus have CRUCIFIED the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Soirit, let us also WALK by the Spirit."