Obeying God

Obeying God is very rarely an easy thing to do. We are all sinners and we all fall short of the standards that God has for us. Needless to say, obedience just doesn’t come naturally. Most of the time it is easier to disobey someone than it is to obey them and when it comes to God, obeying him causes us to make some pretty steep sacrifices while disobeying him results in some pretty steep consequences. Can you think about a time in your life when it was hard for you to obey your parents? How about a time in your life when it was hard for you to obey God? Have you ever had a time in your life when you have consciously chosen to disobey God, or even ignored what he has asked you to do? I can think of a couple instances in my own life. David had some in his own life. This could be why he had so many enemies. David took what didn’t belong to him, Bathsheba, and then he plotted to murder her husband, and he did. All of this went against what God had told him to do and it was all in direct disobedience to God’s Word. David may have sinned greatly against God, but God still called him a man after his own heart. Why? David was repentant of his sins. He turned his life around. David committed his life to following God, to seeking him every day, all the time. David loved God and knew that he was loved by God. He continually praised God and looked to God even in the midst of some of the scariest times in his life. He was eternally thankful for all that God had done for him and he never forgot who had rescued him in his darkest hour. David’s life was centered on God and even though he wasn’t perfect, he was still a man after God’s own heart. In Psalm 32, we can see just how thankful David is. “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sin is put out of sight! Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of guilt, whose lives are lived in complete honesty.” (1-2) David felt the power of the forgiveness that God offers to all those who accept it, regardless of what they have done. David knew the seriousness of sin as well. “When I refused to confess my sin, my body wasted away, and I groaned all day long. Day and night your hand of discipline was heavy on me. My strength evaporated like water in the summer heat.” (3-4) When we keep sin to ourselves and refuse to confess it, our bodies feel it. It eats away at us, it causes us stress in our lives and it slowly dwindles away all of our strength. Have you experienced that? I know I have. It is horrible! “When I finally confessed all my sins to you and I stopped trying to hide my guilt. I said to myself, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord.” And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone.” (5) I think the reason David felt so horrible about the sin in his life and the reason I felt so horrible about the sin in my life is because we both knew how wrong it was. We both knew we were rebelling against a loving God who only wanted the best for us and yet, we consciously chose to do what was contrary to his plans for us. This is what happens every time we sin. This is what happens every time YOU sin. You consciously choose to rebel against a loving God all for your own selfish gain. It’s like you walk right up to him and spit in his face. Now, I don’t know of very many people who would actually ever want to do that to God, but when we chose sin over God, essentially we are taking all that he has given us, throwing it in the garbage and spitting in his face. It is so very important that we recognize the seriousness of sin in our lives. It is not a light matter and it should not be taken lightly. The Bible clearly says that the wages of sin is death! (Romans 6:23) That means when we sin, we deserve death. It doesn’t matter what we do, or why we did it, we deserve death! I’d say that is pretty serious! That is why Jesus Christ came to die on the cross for the sins of the world. God knew it was a heavy price for all of us to pay and he loves us all enough to give us another chance. Jesus Christ died once for all on the cross. He paid the penalty that is owed by you and me when he sacrificed his life on the cross. This is not to say that there are not still consequences for our sinful actions, because there most certainly are. There is however, no more condemnation or punishment for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1-4) I mention all of this for a reason, while obeying God is not always, or actually is rarely ever the easiest thing to do, it is however, the best thing to do. God has every second of your life planned out. He knows exactly what is going to happen. He knows when you will fail and he knows when you will be successful in following him. He has provided a path designed specifically for you to walk on. He has one that he designed for me to walk on as well. No two paths are the same. God doesn’t take this lightly either. He took care in planning out our lives before we were even thought of by our parents. How amazing is that?! Following God in obedience is not a once and done thing. It is a one day at a time thing. Every day when I wake up I must choose to be obedient to God and the call that he has placed on my life. It is not always easy. Some days it is downright hard, but I know that God is with me each and every step of the way guiding me and directing me on the path that he has designed just for me. If you haven’t trusted God in this way, it is never too late. He loves you and has a plan and a purpose just for you. First, take some time to ask God to reveal to you any sin in your life, ask for forgiveness, and then ask him to show you what he would like for you to do for today. Keep moving ahead, fixing your eyes on him and forsaking everything else. He’s got your back. “The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise and watch over you” (8)