WHEN HAVE YOU OBEYED GOD?

WHEN HAVE YOU OBEYED GOD?

 

Radical obedience to God means you obey him immediately and joyfully, doing whatever he tells you to do. It means you are so surrendered to his will that you are able to go wherever he leads, whenever he says. It is most often a learned behavior that develops over time, after many years of daily practice of responding to his easy requests. In what ways has God asked you to obey him today? Have you done what he asked of you?

 

Are you beginning to understand that learning to be more and more reasonably obedient right now is simply practice for the radical obedience he will require of you to complete your life purposes?

 

ARE YOU REASONABLY OR RADICALLY OBEDIENT?

 

When have you practiced obedience? Did you help your grouchy neighbor, tithe faithfully to your church, go to seminary, or invite an unbeliever to an Easter service? Did you do so immediately and joyfully? Did you start a ministry that was heavy on your heart, become more of a servant-leader to your coworkers, or confess and repent of a sin? Has God asked you to be more patient in line at the bank, get up an hour early to pray, give up your golden idol of status, or prayerfully fast from soda for a month? Have you felt led to encourage your pastor, refrain from negative comments, or house a church intern? Kathy Collard Miller, author of Princess to Princess, had learned over a ten-year period to obey God in many ways, except one major area.

 

KATHY COLLARD MILLER HATED HER DISOBEDIENCE

 

Kathy is a popular women’s conference speaker and bestselling author of forty-seven books on topics including perfectionism, simple lifestyle, and what’s in the Bible for couples and teens. She has spoken in twenty-eight states and five foreign countries. She is married to her now–best friend, Larry, and has two grown children. And, she loves to reach out to people through friendship evangelism.

 

Kathy longs to share hope with others, because, as she humbly discloses, “God delivered me from being a child abuser.” Even though she had been a Christian for ten years at the time, she couldn’t grasp God’s strength to control herself.

 

She felt unloved, unable to comprehend why her husband was not home more often to help raise their two young children and give her the emotional support she craved. Feeling overwhelmed, she displaced her anger from Larry onto their two-year old daughter and soon considered suicide as the only solution for the harm she was inflicting.

 

Kathy’s step of obedience at that point was not easy. God asked her to share publicly about her sin of physically abusing her child. She didn’t want to at first, of course, but when she did step out in obedience, she saw God’s amazing plan unfold for her ministry of healing. She says: “God only desires our good and his glory, so even if he asks us to obey in something that seems difficult to us, his great power can bring good from it.”

 

When Have You Obeyed God? Mary Obeyed

 

When Mary found out that she was to be the mother of Jesus, she said, “I am the Lord’s servant. . . . May it be to me as you have said.” Read Luke 1:26–38. How do you typically react to obeying God’s will for your life? Like Mary?

 

SCRIPTURE TO PONDER

 

[Jesus said,] “If you love me, you will obey what I command.” (John 14:15)

 

SUGGESTED PRAYER

 

Dear Lord Jesus, you said, “If you, _________, love me, you will obey what I command.” Today I ask you to help me be courageous in following you wherever you lead, whenever you say, and for whatever assignment you give me. Don’t let me delay in my joyful response to your will. I want to do this because I love you, but I do admit that I am grateful for the freedom, peace, and mind-boggling rewards that come from obeying you!

Help me listen to you more closely and obey you more radically.

 

 

So . . . What Insight, Prayer, or Action Step Has God Laid on Your Heart Today?