OBEDIENCE

Jesus chose to model the ultimate act of obedience to God, His Father, for YOU… And me!!

Isn’t that a powerful thought to reflect on especially as we prepare for Holy Week and Easter in the coming week?

                     

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First, let us look at some Scripture verses relating to obedience.

In the Old Testament days, before Jesus was born, the people offered burnt offerings and sacrifices to God and were bound by the Covenant of the Law.

After Jesus was born, the new Covenant was one of Love.

Isn’t it insightful that Samuel knew what was most important in life?  From the Old Testament:

1 Sam. 15:22 But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (NIV)

And from the New Testament:

2 John 6 And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. (NIV)

Love cannot be separated from obedience:

John 14:15  If you love me, you will obey what I command.  (NIV)

 

 

 

Do you sometimes find it difficult to be obedient to God?

…Maybe He’s calling you out of your comfort zone to witness at an event.

…Maybe He’s calling you to a new career than what you had planned.

…Maybe He’s calling you to take a leap of faith and let go of control in an area of your life.

Are there times when you actually have not obeyed God?

 

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Who are the first people we encounter who disobey God? Yes, our first parents, Adam and Eve while in the Garden of Eden.  (It is interesting to note that Eden means “paradise.”)

Genesis 2:15-27: The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”  (NIV)

We know the serpent ended up questioning the woman and getting her to doubt what God had said.

Genesis 3:6: “When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”  (NIV)

Clearly, Adam and Eve disobeyed God which is when sin first entered into the world. God had to then come up with another plan to restore the broken relationship to Himself.

 

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What was God’s ultimate plan?

To send Jesus, His only Son, to earth as both God and human, have His Son take the sins of the world on while hanging on a cross and then rising after three days to bring us eternal life; to restore our relationship with God our Father.

Photo courtesy of Sapphire Dream Photography under Creative Common License (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)

 

For me, one of the most beautiful celebrations of Easter is Holy Thursday and taking time to reflect on what Jesus was about to embark on for me! It is so touching to think of Him celebrating the Last Supper with His disciples and washing their feet to show us how we, too, need to love and serve others.

In Jesus’ humanity, He asked God, His Father one final time if there was any other way that the sins of the world could be taken away.

When Jesus knew the time was drawing near for Him to die, as He often did, He went along with His disciples to pray and seek God, His Father in a quiet place; this time to the Garden of Gethsemane.

“Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done. An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened Him. And being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.”  –Luke 22:42-44 (NIV)

Ultimately, Jesus, through prayer,  knew in His heart of hearts that God had no other way.

Jesus chose to be obedient despite knowing the agony He would have to endure as well as the temporary separation from God, His Father when He took all of our sins on.

I, for one, am so thankful that Jesus chose to obey God’s plan!

 

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What examples of obedience did Jesus provide for our lives that Adam and Eve did not exercise?

**Continually seek God’s will

**Pray continually to God

**Trust God

**Choose to obey God

 

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In reflecting on these thoughts, did any examples of times when you obeyed God come to mind?

Or, maybe some instances of times you didn’t obey God?

Would you be willing to share in the comment section below?  We can all learn from each other’s experiences and grow closer to the Lord.   

                                                                                             

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Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.  He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me.”  –John 14:23-24  (NIV)