Walk in Obedience

eDevotion

Encouragement for your daily walk with God

I asked one of my Bible College professors to give me a simple definition of the Christian life. He said, “Rick, the Christian life is walking obediently with God.” I’ve never forgotten that. Obedience is important. So important, in fact, that Jesus modeled obedience His entire earthly life. Listen to what He said, “I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him" [John 8:28-29]. How I wish I could say the same!

That’s why we so desperately need to yield ourselves to the Holy Spirit’s power. God sent His Spirit to enkindle and inspire our lives — to empower us. Trust me when I tell you, you can’t succeed without the Spirit’s help. He enables our consistent obedience through the same power that raised Jesus from the dead [Romans 8:11].

The question is not whether we stumble and fall on our journey. That’s a given. The real issue is the way your heart is bent. Is it inclined toward gratifying self or obeying God? Many of the biblical heroes failed in their obedience to God: Moses, Sarah, Peter, and David — yes, David, described as a man after God’s own heart [Acts 13:22]. How can that be, you ask? Even though he failed miserably, his heart was bent toward God. You hear it when he wrote, "As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God" [Psalms 42:1]. 

Do you have a heart like that, one that yearns to obey God above all else? If you do, you can rest assured that He will show you the way—the Lord always honors that kind of hunger and thirst for Him.

Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 [Holman Christian Standard Bible- HCSB]