The 40 Day Journey - Day 16 (Obedience)

Disclaimer: I was hoping God would tie all that I learned this week into a neat little bow to top off another week of listening to Him.  I have typed and deleted enough words for 100 more blog posts tonight.  I debated even publishing what follows.  But by faith, I am putting it out there. I guess I am saying all this because there is so much more to these portions of scriptures.  This is just a small morsel as we taste and see that the Lord is good.

A crazy thing happened as we were driving home from Gig Harbor last week. Mt. Rainier was right in front of us. Then as we approached the bridge it moved!  It was on our left.  Of course the mountain didn't move, just our view of it changed.  If you've ever kayaked on American Lake the same thing happens, the mountain seems to move.

So as I have looked at Luke 14 more times than I can count this week, the truth of it hasn't changed. I just think God has me looking at it from a different perspective now.

I came across the above verse earlier this week and it has stuck with me.  Of course the Keith Green song also keeps playing in my mind.  The verse says, to obey is better than sacrifice. As I consider the cost to follow Christ, it equates with sacrifice for me.  This verse says obedience is better than sacrifice. So if we are to sacrifice for Christ, how much better is it then to obey Him?  Is that what God is showing me?

So do we just obey for the sake of obeying?  Remember when your mom would ask you to do something and she would say "Just obey me" and we would follow up with every parent's favorite question, "Why?!".  To be countered with the famous, "Because I said so".  I have sometimes thought of God in this same way.  The bible says to obey, so I will because He says so.

As I looked up verses on obedience I noticed many of them had promises attached (maybe all of them??).  Act 5:32 promises the Holy Spirit to those that obey.  Hebrews 5:9 promises eternal salvation to those who obey.  In Genesis 6 God promises to establish a covenant with Noah if he obeys and builds the ark.  There are many more examples.

So maybe we obey and count the cost not just because God says so, but so we can receive His promises.  That sure seems selfish though. Which would apparently work for me.  But we also live by faith and somehow this fits in too. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6), even with our obedience.  So it must take faith to obey God.  And we believe that He rewards those that seek Him.  But again, it can't be for the reward, right?

Luke 14:27 says, "Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after Me cannot be my disciple."  This verse says to carry our own cross, it must look different for each of us.  What God has asked of me is not what He has asked of you.  I must take up my own cross and follow Him. How do I do that?  By being obedient.  Christ was obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.  And why?  For the joy set before Him....for the promise.  (See Philippians 2 and Hebrews 12:2)

Christ could not have been motivated to obey out of selfishness, to obey for the reward.  He was God after all, probably doesn't get much better than that.  But I wonder if He was strengthened by the promise?  The promise of eternal life for you and for me gave Him strength to endure the greatest cost to anyone ever.

I do still think it is important to consider the cost in following Christ, but more importantly I think we need to obey Him.  Even if we don't understand.  And we can only obey Him by our faith in Him. May His promises strengthen us as we journey together this road of obedience set before us.