I've been thinking lately about obedience. God calls us to be obedient to him and to his ways. But it seems like often our obedience is a rote mental exercise without passion or feeling. We're obedient because we have to be... because we don't want to suffer the consequences of being disobedient, so we obey.

I read this quote the other day though and it really struck me: "Obedience to God is not a mental discipline; it's a yielded heart to God." In other words we obey not because we have to or something bad will happen, but because we get to... because we are so moved by the love that God has for us that we are passionate about loving him in return and doing things to please Him. I submit myself to my wife and am obedient to her (most of the time :-)) not because I have to or something bad will happen but because I am so in love with her that it is a joy to please her.

It's true that God has laid out some guidelines for our lives that he invites us to follow... and sometimes they aren't the most fun things for us to do. But the Bible is very clear that the  guidelines God has given us are for our own benefit. He loves us sooooooooo much and wants us to experience all that life with him has to offer, but in order to experience that, there are some rules to follow.

It's kind of like eating vegetables... there are a lot of kids who hate eating vegetables. As kids we'd rather just eat junk food all the time because it tastes better. But our parents make us obey the rules and eat our vegetables because they know if we only eat junk food that in 10 years we are going to be 400 pounds! It may seem better to just eat junk food because it tastes better but the truth is in the long run we will suffer because of it.

God sees the bigger picture and he invites us to follow his rules because he knows that in the long run we will be better off. Can you imagine what a mess life would be if there were no rules or guidelines? Perhaps some of you are suffering because you have failed to follow the rules... you've metaphorically become the 400 pound kid and now are struggling to get out of the mess you've made.

The truth is there is no middle ground when it comes to obedience... if we don't obey then we disobey. I pray that we would all become passionate lovers of God who are obedient to all he tells us to do... not because we have to, but because we get to!

So I'm not by nature a very self-disciplined person... I suppose compared to some I am! But I tend to be a person who is led by my emotions. If I feel the urge to be self-disciplined then it's not a problem, but when I don't feel like it, it's very difficult. But I've been working really hard at being more self-disciplined and doing things because it's the right thing to do whether I feel like it or not.

Let's face it, none of us really like discipline! Discipline is not a fun thing... that's what makes it discipline! But the truth of the matter is that discipline is for our benefit. When we were children our parents disciplined us when we did things we shouldn't do because they wanted us to become the best people we could become. I don't think any of us probably enjoyed that discipline but ultimately it was for our benefit. I've known people over the years who really lacked parental discipline during their childhood and although it may have seemed like a great thing at the time, their lives have been ruined because of it.

The Bible speaks of how God also disciplines us for our benefit so that we can become all that he intends us to be. Listen to the words from Hebrews 12:

⁵ And have you completely forgotten this word of encouragement that addresses you as a father addresses his son? It says,
   “My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline,
   and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, ⁶ because the Lord disciplines the one he loves,
   and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son.”^[a]
 7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as his children. For what children are not disciplined by their father? ⁸ If you are not disciplined—and everyone undergoes discipline—then you are not legitimate, not true sons and daughters at all. ⁹ Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of spirits and live! ¹⁰ They disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, in order that we may share in his holiness. ¹¹ No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.


Our natural tendency is to want to run from trial, hardship, pain and discipline but sometimes those are the very things we need to go through to grow into the people that God wants us to be.


I heard this great quote once about self-discipline that has stuck with me: "Discipline yourself so someone else won't have to." I love that because the truth is the only time someone else has to discipline us is when we are not doing what we are supposed to do. So if you discipline yourself to do the things you know you need to be doing, then no one else is going to have to discipline you.


So consider, in what areas are you being disciplined? In what areas do you need to be more disciplined?

Hebrews 11:1 says that "faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." We live in a culture that says "I have to see it to believe it." But faith as it is defined in Hebrews 11 does not mix with this worldview. We cannot live with an "I have to see it to believe it" mentality and also live in faith... the two are irreconcilable.

As Christ followers, God has called us to live by faith. If you think about it, the whole notion of "I have to see it to believe it" is really an issue of control. "I want to be in control of my life and so unless I have proof that something is real and true, then I can't accept it. I don't want to act in extreme ways, ways that seem contrary to what would be beneficial to me, unless I have proof that it's going to pay off in the end."

On the contrary then, living by faith is surrendering control. "Even though I can't see it, taste it, touch it, hear it, or smell it, I believe it to be true. Even though it may seem extreme, counter-cultural and it may not make sense to me, I accept it because God says it's true." It's learning to let go of control and believing that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts and his ways are better than our ways... it's believing that he's big enough and strong enough to order and direct our steps. It's learning to live life his way instead of our way.


So what areas of your life have you been clinging to control? What things do you need to surrender to God? In what ways do you need to begin living by faith?