Tag - obedience

An Important Key to Honoring God

August 4, 2021

When I ask my kids to clean the room, yet I find them playing at the top of the stairs 15-minutes later, I get aggravated. When I tell everyone to get in the car, yet they continue to sit watching TV, I wonder if anyone heard me. When I ask the family to put their dishes away, yet come home to find the table full of cups, I feel disregarded. I don’t feel honored.

Often, I tell my kids, “To delay is to disobey.” And, it is true. Delays don’t honor me as mom. In my eyes, they fall into the camp of disobedience.

Recently, when telling my kids, “to delay is to disobey,” I considered my own actions and delays as it pertains to God…

Do I treat Him the way my kids are treating me? Does He feel dishonored by my inaction? I had to stop to think for a moment…

How often do I get thinking of other things, and then I don’t act? How often do I get distracted and forget to call the person God is put on my heart? How often do I wait and then negate what God is speaking to me? How often do I do something else, before answering His call to read the Word?

Our obedience shows much about our love.

“If you love me, keep my commands.” (Jo. 14:15 NIV)

Just like, I feel loved, when my kids obey — it appears — so does God. Radical obedience shows complete reliance on Jesus. It says: God, you are first. It practices our mind in moving against the impulses of our flesh. It reminds us who we really live for.

Here, it’s like we almost say to God: You, above all else. Your ways are higher than mine. Your calling is of paramount importance. It doesn’t matter how inconvenient it is to me, I am alive to you, Christ Jesus.

Of course, no one is perfect in this department. I surely am not. And, I thank God for Jesus, who gives us a fresh start all the time because of His blood and grace. We are continually blessed by His obedience on the cross…

Yet, despite our actions or inactions, it is good to continually remind ourselves to be quick to act when we feel the prompting of God. And, to be ready to obey when the Word of God convicts us.

Because, how much could our world actually change if we followed through on the things God was leading us in? What would it look like if we followed through on the prompting to love, immediately? What would it look like if we allowed our heart to change the way He is trying to mold it?

How much more might the heart of the Father be honored? How much more intimacy might we have with God?

When God calls, let’s listen and answer.

Prayer: Father, I want to love you more. I want to obey you more. Obedience opens up walkways, both into your heart, and into greater callings. Please help me to obey you. Please help me, also, to discern what you are calling me to do. You are an amazing God, worthy of all my heart and action. I honor you. I love you. I submit myself to you today. In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.

When You Need to Move Forward

April 21, 2016

Angela Parlin

failure, faith, Obeying, Regular Contributor

3 Comments

Post By: Angela Parlin

Maturity is a hot topic around our house these days.

These kids are determined to grow bigger, taller, and smarter each week, and along with that, they’re determined to grow in freedom. Sometimes I wish I knew how to slow it all down.

We often explain to our oldest two, that in this area or that, we need to see a little more maturity before we can allow greater freedom.

Strangely, there are days when it appears maturity is decreasing rather than increasing. Anybody else?

It probably has something to do with approaching the teen years. But let’s just say we’ve lived a number of wide-eyed, dumbfounded, What did he just do? moments around here. Since we’re only beginning this new stage, I have a feeling we need to be ready for more of that to come.

{Parents of teens & grown children are shaking their heads yes.} 🙂

But all this talk of maturity doesn’t only apply to our growing children.

The writer of Hebrews spoke to a group of seasoned believers who seemed to have slipped backward in their faith, maybe all the way back to where they began. They were seasoned, yet spiritually lazy.

He was teaching them about the significance of Jesus as their High Priest, when he said–

“It is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand.” (5:11)

One–I think I may have a lot of use for that line.

But two? Ouch.

Could this reprimand be meant in any way, for you and me?

I think of how I’ve run from complex spiritual topics at times. When it overwhelms me or I can’t figure it out, I move on to something else. But maybe what I need is to work out my faith in those areas.

Maybe I don’t need to try to figure it all out, but to persist in understanding.

I think of the spiritual disciplines I have declared “too hard” for me. The ones I’ve rationalized with, I’m just not there yet.

Or the times I committed to read through the Bible in a year. But when I got “stuck” at Leviticus, I skipped a number of books or abandoned my plan altogether.

Yes, sometimes, even as grown-ups, we run away when things are hard.

So what does it look like to move forward to maturity?

Persevere.

Progress.

Keep at it.

Persist.

Move forward.

Take one little step after another.

It looks like growing our relationship with the Lord through solitude, the Word, and obedience.

Years ago, I finally persisted through Leviticus all the way to Revelation, without looking back. I kept moving forward through the Word, developing a greater thirst and a more complete understanding. All that forward movement caused more of the same.

You know what I think held me back before? I didn’t desire to grow. I wanted to have read through the Bible, but I didn’t want to do the hard work of thoughtfully considering ALL the words, even those in Leviticus and Numbers and the Chronicles.

But this is our calling–the calling He’s given all of us.

I’m not talking about reading through the Bible, though that could be part of it.

God calls us each to move forward, to move toward Him, to grow up in Christ.

Are you willing to follow His call, even when it’s hard work? Do you want what’s on the other side, to know Him more?

What step will you take today, to move forward, toward spiritual maturity?

Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity. Hebrews 6:1a

Angela Parlin is Dan’s wife and Mom to 3 rowdy boys and 1 sweet girl. In addition to spending time with friends and family, she loves to read and write, spend days at the beach, watch romantic comedies, and organize closets. But most of all, she loves Jesus and writes to call attention to the beauty of life in Christ, even when that life collaborates with chaos. Join her each week at www.angelaparlin.com, So Much Beauty in All This Chaos.