In our self gratification society, the idea of making the right choice out of pure obedience kind of blows our minds. Shouldn’t we be able to pick and choose what seems right to us? This watered down version of truth, is not truth at all. Where does faith and trust fall into this limited world view of obedience? Why is the difference between obeying God out of choice versus emotion so important?

Gods Guidebook

Nobody is perfect. I get that, and I am not claiming to be. But there is a guidebook for us to follow called the Bible. Every day we are faced with choices. Choices to love, choices to hate, choices to obey, choices to live for ourselves. If we break apart the scriptures to read whatever we want, why pretend we are obeying them at all, then question God, as though He is the one on the hot seat? If you built an entertainment stand wrong, but refused to read the directions, would you get mad at the manufacturer?

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you.

Deuteronomy 4:2

Our Way is Better

This ideology suggests that we think we know better than God. That our way, through our pieced together theology and common knowledge will get us the best possible outcome. But, ya know what, I don’t believe it will. It may give you a false facade that things are going ok, but you are still hurting. You are trusting in your own strength and comprehension in a world that has so many incomprehensible things.

Wishy Washy

We wake up one morning, feeling tired, groggy, more vulnerable to negativity. God must not hear me. We are presented with a choice to do something that God says is wrong. Lies seep in our pores… “Is it really that wrong”, “Everybody is doing it”, “It was a different culture back then”. We get a little more desensitized to God’s truth and jaded that God has not heard our early morning prayers, so we choose to sin, because If God doesn’t love us enough to listen to us. We don’t love God enough to obey.

Next morning the sun is shining, the birds are chirping. God is my dearest friend.

Again you are presented with the choice to follow God and obey or go your own way. You choose to listen to God the whole day, to reward Him for His favor, because who wouldn’t want to give praise to a God you know is capable of the impossible.

We are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine.

Ephesians 4:14

Roller Coaster

Up and down you go; your relationship with God is as temperamental as your choice of coffee creamer. If a friend was as wishy washy as we sometimes are with God would your friendship endure? Good and bad days are going to come but trusting on God’s faithfulness through it all will help you put those bad days into perspective.

Emotional Blackmail

If we lean on our emotions to dictate our life or relationship to God, we are asking for trouble. This may reveal itself through questioning our closeness to God based on our circumstances. This breeds emotional turmoil. Life is a choice every day. A choice to love, obey, and honor God even when we don’t “feel” like it. The beauty of it all is that the rewards are joy and peace, which you can’t put price tags on and will be worth the long hard journey.

Photo credit: by Paul Jarvis