Obedience

This was not an easy word to embrace while growing up as a child. I didn’t always understand why I was told to do this or that. I also had to learn to trust the person in authority that they were giving me good instructions. I know that during my teenage years, I struggled greatly with obedience because I thought I knew more than my parents, grandparents and even my teachers. I was profoundly wrong.

I think there are several categories of obedience. There is urgent obedience, meaning it’s very time sensitive. There is timeless obedience, it’s always the right thing to do.

Joseph practiced both. We don’t know a lot about the earthly Dad of Jesus. We do know he listened to the instructions of the Lord. Check this out…

¹³ After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

¹⁴ That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, ¹⁵ and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” (Matthew 2:13-15 NLT)

Urgent Obedience can prevent great loss or pain.

Timeless Obedience shapes my character and my destiny as a child of the King.

The Lord sometimes prompts me in my spirit to choose differently.  I am prompted by His Word to timeless, consistent obedience.

My obedience reveals my faith.

My obedience reveals my trust.

Both types of obedience require me to listen for the Lord to speak. I hear Him when I read and study His Word. I hear Him when I’m praying. I hear Him when I’m singing. I hear Him when I’m just living out my day.

I want to tune my heart to hear Him when He prompts me to obey – whether it’s urgent, timeless, or both!

Pressing On!

Dwayne