|| Obedience is compliance with an order, request, law, or submission to another’s authority. ||
|| Biblical obedience is to hear God’s word and act accordingly. It’s to hear, trust, submit and surrender to God and his word. As believers, are we living like we believe the truth that is stated in scripture? Are we living like we have the power that the disciples had? Are we obeying God when he asks us to do something? ||
God doesn’t need us to be obedient, but he wants us to be obedient. He is a jealous God who desires for his children to be a part of his plan, and it is such a privilege to be a small part of his will and the furthering of his kingdom.
The Lord has been teaching me what obedience to him looks like. Unfortunately, I have plenty of experience in being disobedient. Disobedience can sometimes have earthly consequences, much like our sin does. I have felt the regret and disappointment with myself when I’m not obedient, and I have felt the pure joy when I am obedient and see fruit from that. I have even felt the abundant grace when I am disobedient or have delayed obedience and he still arranges a way for me to be a part of his plan with a second chance. God is a good father who desires good things for his children.
When we put our faith in Jesus for our salvation, he gives us the desire to be obedient. When we have the Holy Spirit, he gives us discernment and guidance for obedience.
“But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness. I am speaking in human terms, because of your natural limitations. For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification.”
-Romans 6:17-19
We aren’t obedient because we have to be. Christ has already died for us and we have received salvation in his name. We are obedient because the Lord has given us the desires of his heart, and we are now slaves to righteousness rather than slaves to sin. As we pursue our freedom in righteousness, we will become more like Jesus every day and more into the person God created us to be.
Here in Nicaragua, we are staying with a ministry called REAP Granada. Scott and Jen Espacito are our hosts, along with two long-term missionaries here at the base, Nathan and Caitlin. There are so many things I love about this ministry, but I think what I love the most is their intentionality in making sure our “cup is filled” before we go out to serve. Since the Lord is our source of living water, we are constantly being filled by him so we can overflow onto others. In contrast, when we are not spending time with the Lord and not seeking after him, we can easily be drained because we have nothing to give away.
We have mandatory quiet time with the Lord every day from 6-7 am. While it isn’t always easy to get up, I have learned to crave this sweet time with my savior. In the past, I felt like the time I spent with the Lord would be bible reading that felt more like something to cross off a to-do list, and because of that it felt more like a chore than the true joy that it is. I knew that wasn’t how it was supposed to be. I would even go periods of time where I would not read the word at all because of frustration. A direct reflection of this is how hard it was to pour out during those times I wasn’t spending intentional time with the Lord.
Through this experience, I have learned that continuous obedience in the same direction bears good fruit. Getting up early every morning isn’t desirable, and I may not always want to read my bible, but I will choose to because that is what fills me up and allows me to share the love of Jesus with others and ultimately bring glory to God. That’s the thing-we don’t always see immediate results. We may never see the fruit of our obedience. But it’s worth it because Christ is worth it.
My teammate Hannah shared this quote recently all of us:
“Legacy. What is a legacy? It’s planting seeds in a garden you never get to see.”
-Lin-Manuel Miranda
I think it’s beautiful to think about how we are planting seeds not for our own legacy, but for the Lord’s. We have the privilege of planting the seeds, and we can trust the Lord with the rest.
I recently felt led to read Acts. It’s been incredibly good for my soul and it has given me exactly what I’ve needed in this season. {God is pretty good like that} This month, a lot of our ministry has looked like going out into these communities to pray, talk, and share the love of Jesus. As you can imagine, we have seen some hard things. It’s funny, because as we pray I feel like I trust God with answering prayers such as providing people with jobs and material things that may not happen right away, but in his timing. However, I struggle to trust the divine power he has to supernaturally heal people in the moment. As I pray, I have to continually remind myself to believe. I don’t like living like this. I want to trust the Lord and his goodness. I want to trust that prayer is powerful and that the Lord answers prayers.
While I am struggling with this, the Lord is taking me through Acts, where I see again and again just how powerful prayer through faith in Jesus truly is, along with the beauty in obedience.
After Peter healed the lame beggar:
“And his name–by faith in his name-has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given this man this perfect health in the presence of you all.”
-Acts 3:16
“…let it be known to all of you and to the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead-by him this man standing before you well.”
-Acts 4:10
As people began to find out:
“And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women, so that they even carried out the sick into the streets and laid them on cost and mats, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed.”
-Acts 5:13-16
I want to have this kind of faith. Regardless of the outcome, I want to have full confidence in my father. The great thing about God is that he has met me right where I am and he is walking me through this struggle. As I ask for wisdom, he will grant it to me.
A comforting verse for me is in Mark 9, when Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit. The boy’s father says that if Jesus can do anything for his son, to please have compassion and help them.
And Jesus said to him, “If you can! All things are possible for one who believes. Immediately, the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’”
-Mark 9:23-25
Lord, help my unbelief.
I am working on exercising the faith muscle and walking in obedience. The rest is in the father’s hands. All I can do is faithfully and boldly pray over people in Jesus’ name, and he will do the rest. He chooses who will be healed and not healed, and I am his vessel for healing. I don’t have to understand everything right now, I just have to be obedient.
“If he gives you the grace to make you believe, he will give you the grace to live a holy life afterward.”
-Charles Spurgeon
PS: I did break my nose in Panamá. I got into a fight with a ceiling fan and a bunk bed. All is well : ) You’re welcome for the clickbait.
