Obedience to God

Whatever a man depends upon, whatever rules his mind, whatever governs his affections, whatever is the chief object of his delight, is his god. – Charles Spurgeon

God does not call us to be successful, but to be obedient. – Billy Graham

“With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God? Shall I come before him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, with ten thousand rivers of olive oil? Shall I offer my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”  (Micah 6:6-8) “But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22)  “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,” (1 John 5:3) 

Relationship is the essence of Christian living, our relationship, friendship to Him and His to us. That relationship is enabled and effected by and through the Holy Spirit given after Yeshua’s sacrifice and resurrection. We are not initially born spiritually, but physically. The spiritual birth is accomplished by the Holy Spirit, wherein we become a new creation. Our spiritual growth begins with kicking, stretching, crying out, breathing spiritually as an infant. We mature in spiritual gifts and learn mortification of the flesh to grow in spiritual formation. The flesh opposes the Spirit, such that an inward vs. outward struggle ensues. (Gal. 5:16-25) Our language and communion with the Lord deepens with understanding and faith. Our experience in the Spirit grows through the process of being conformed into the image of Yeshua, suffering, serving, sharing the Gospel message,  spending time in prayer with the Father, and learning obedience. (Heb. 5:7-8) Obedience and Spiritual maturity are not mutually exclusive; spiritual formation enhances obedience. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, their work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person’s work.” (1 Corinthians 3:11-13) There must be no boast in obedience. “For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.” (Romans 11:32)