Spiritual Growth Means Obedience- Obedience Means Effectiveness

The Way Things Are: 

When we are thankful we are humble, and when we are humble, we are usable. I don’t know about you but I want to be usable. But there is a last step in there, and it strikes to the heart of our effectiveness in the body of Christ: obedience.

Obedience is More Than You Think 

There are two parts to obedience. First there is submission. That word has a negative connotation in the world that means weak, loser, oppressed. When in fact it is much more freeing than that: it means you yield to someone else’s opinion, plan, or authority – you trust.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding. 

We don’t get the big picture all the time. We can’t see the future, or what may be around the corner, but God can. Trusting Him means submitting to him our decision making process. 

What job to take, what person to date, what school to attend, where to move, even what car to buy, these things all should be submitted under God’s authority.

Where do we Start? With God's Will. 

God’s will for our lives is governed by His nature and character. How do we find out more about the very nature of God? We search in His word. John 1:1 says “In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God.”

There are some things about our lives that should be pretty obvious. 

We shouldn’t murder, because murdering goes against the very nature and character of God. 

But the more personal decisions are the more difficult ones, because they take a very special level of self-discipline and submission. What school should I attend? I can’t find anything about Yale versus Harvard in the Bible. What job should I take? Is the one that pays the most money always the right choice? Serve God not mammon, right?

This is where we need an intimate relationship with God, one that makes His word alive and spark in us when we read it. 

A relationship that gives a personal revelation that becomes our daily bread.  This is called rhema (Strong’s 4487) in the Greek. It means the “living word” and it comes from a root word that means pouring forth. Once we have a personal relationship, personal revelation follows and submission becomes our first nature, not a second nature.

Here Comes the Other Shoe...

The second part of obedience is the actual act of obeying. When God gives us direction it is important we act on that and move. When God dropped the idea of this blog into my spirit, I began to act on it immediately. It is an act of obedience to study, write and pray every day, however, it is not an easy thing. I am being tested and stretched unlike I ever have before and that I know it is part of God’s intent. He wants me to grow, to stretch, and his word says he watches over what he speaks to make sure it gets done.

The doing is sometimes the hard part, but it proves what is in your heart. 

Love God? Then feed his sheep.

Obedience Has Benefits 

One more point; obeying is always the better option. I remember telling my children something along the lines of ‘obey now and there will be less pain later’. I did not just mean obey and you won’t get spanked later, I meant obey now, and you will not have to sacrifice later. Obey now, blessings later. Obey now, favor later. Obey now, fruit later.

I will close with this story. I was 19 years old, working in a local fast food place when a very cute guy, probably only two or three years older than me walked in and ordered. I was cleaning up in the dining room when I felt like God told me to give that guy the money I had in my pocket. It was only five dollars, but living on my own, eating ramen noodles to survive, it was a lot! Plus, did I mention he was cute? 

But it wasn’t just giving him $5; I also needed to tell him something, a word that seemed kind of personal. O the agony of the conversation I had with myself and with God as I warred with obedience. I did obey. I waited until the last minute and followed him to the door and said ‘God told me to give this to you, that he loves you and for you to stop trying on your own and give up already.’ Now I don’t know what the last part of that was about, but the look on his face told me it hit the mark for him. I know that my obedience was not just for my benefit, but for someone else’s too.

Having a relationship with God is not always easy. I have said this before, and it bears repeating. 

God is the perfect one and we have to do all the changing to keep the relationship new, fresh, and growing. If it isn't work, it isn't working.

There is an old hymn that says “trust (submit) and obey there is no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey”. How true. I want to be happy in Jesus, how about you?

Be blessed and be a blessing and remember that obey is an action verb!

Has God ever told you to do something like give money away to a perfect stranger? Tell us your story below! Add your comment now.