Obedience

16 May Obedience

“Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the straps of the yoke to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it to to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover him, and not to hide yourself from your own flesh? Then shall your light break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up speedily; your righteousness shall go before you; and the glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer; you shall cry and he will say, ‘Here I am.’”      –Isaiah 58:6-9 (ESV, emphasis mine)

It is easy for me to get into my daily routine and not really give much thought to how God’s mandates in scripture should affect my daily life. I often get so wrapped up in my own little world that I don’t look at what is going on around me. I don’t stop to pay attention to the elderly woman who could use my help getting that item off the shelf. I ignore the fact that my neighbor is a single Mom of three and our kids play on the same ball team. I am too busy to notice God nudging me to give a little more of myself to someone else. I tell myself, “I’m in a hurry. If I help, I’ll be late”, or “I’m so busy, how in the world can I do another thing?”

Therein is my problem, I’ve allowed myself to become so busy with things that I can’t make time for what really matters. It’s a constant struggle I have- telling myself to slow down, so I can really see God work. If I ask myself, “What’s more important: God’s work or (fill in the blank)?” the obvious answer is, “God’s work”, but I often chose the other thing (fill in the blank). That choice, whatever I used to fill in the blank, leaves me feeling tired, run down, empty and somehow disobedient to my Savior.

It’s easy to not even realize what’s going on and to tell myself, “Man I am so busy that I’ve just gotten exhausted” or “I go to church and help in the kid’s ministry, so I am being obedient to God.” Unfortunately though, I am the one choosing what things equal obedience. I’ve yet to find a mandate in the scriptures that says simply going to church and helping with things there equals complete obedience to God.

That’s exactly what the passage above in Isaiah is speaking about. We can’t just go through the motions and expect God to honor it. We don’t get to choose what things we do for God. God gets to choose for us. He’s made a lot of them clear to us in the scriptures, but there are other things that he tells us through prayer, fasting or meditation. But, do you know the most wonderful part about that passage? God doesn’t tell the people to feel terrible because they’ve just been going through the motions, He tells them what will happen if they start obeying.

What does it say will happen? Your healing will come quickly and you will call to Him and He will answer! Wow! You may be thinking that obedience will just make you feel more tired because it means one more thing on your to-do list. Thankfully, that’s not true, because God will help you put your priorities straight. Once your priorities are in line with His, you’ll have more time and energy than ever before. You could be wondering how you can give any more of your resources when you already feel stressed about all the bills you have. God will make it clear if your sacrifice is time, money or both. When He does make the sacrifice clear, don’t feel bad about it and trust Him to provide when you aren’t sure how the provision will come. Our God created the universe, He can provide for your needs.

I am not saying all of us should give away all of our possessions or stop doing things we enjoy in order to obey God. God has called all of us to action for the poor, sick, widow, abandoned child or otherwise vulnerable people. What He asks each of us to do will not be the same, but, we should all ask Him what steps He is asking us to take in order to be obedient to His call and then take those steps. Unafraid mind you, God is working all to His glory. He will have your back whenever you answer His call.

Because God has put me right in the middle of a country filled with poverty and a beautiful children’s home with seven amazing “abandoned” children, I think about those specific mandates a lot. I mull them over in my mind, pray about them and wonder what other miracles I will get to see God perform in the lives of the people He allows me to impact. I praise Him for the stories I already have and am excited about seeing what He still has in store for all of us. I love being a Christian. I am never bored, because God always asks me to do something for which I will need His help, and I am never alone because God is always with me.

So, don’t be afraid to say, “Yes” to God today. He is always faithful. You have no need to be afraid. If His word commands you to do something, you should be more afraid of being disobedient than obedient. We can walk this amazing adventure together. You share your amazing God stories, and I’ll continue to share mine. May it all be for His glory!