Monday, March 28, 2011

Obedience is a Beautiful Thing

I am thankful for obedient people. Any spiritual gain that has ever taken place in my life has been the result of another human being's obedience to God. I am overwhlemed by the beauty of God's ways and I am amazed by the steps of obedience in the lives of those near and far that God has used to draw me closer to Him.

So many times when I am trying to be obedient it is because I want to be "good" and I think that God is going to smile down on me for my obedience. That's not why God wants me to be obedient. There is nothing I can do to make Him smile down on me. He already did that and it had nothing to do with something I did.

God uses the obedience of His people to carry out His plans. It's not that He's dependent on us or our obedience. That's just how He rolls. In fact, God chose to carry out his divine plan for the salvation of all mankind through the obedience of one person.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. John 1:14, 16

Jesus became a man to set the example for us all. Because of His obedience, we are free! And with that freedom comes the desire and the help we need (through the Holy Spirit) to obey. I see the obedience of others as an overflow of His grace in my life each day. Obedience in all different forms, but all for the same purpose--His glory. It's such a beautiful thing.

1 comment:

  1. Any spiritual gain that has ever taken place in my life has been the result of another human being's obedience to God.

    Keelie, this is an excellent statement worth giving thought to. Looking back on my own life and some of its significant turning points, I can say the same thing. I also love the part of God where He "goes to bat for us" as individuals even when someone else really drops the ball. I had that happen many years ago in my life, and were it not for the Lord, I would've been devastated. I love the Lord. I love His ways, and if you can't tell, I also love this post! Thank you for sharing this word so beautifully.

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