An Obedient Heart

I left church last Sunday very convicted. In the sermon, the pastor said that right thinking will lead us to right living, and as I sat there trying to decide if my thinking was right, he went on to say: “Because God has shown us mercy in Christ, our whole lives become worship, and our renewed minds learn how to live out God’s will.”

Another God-stop moment for me.

How many nights have I laid wake worrying about what God’s will is for my life; secretly wishing it could be like Google Maps where you key in a destination and step by steps directions pop up. Yet, when I heard that statement, I had a moment of clarity: Everything that we do should be done as an act of worship to God. That is his desire for our lives. That is his will.

Oh.

It’s a life that is wholly dedicated to God. As Paul wrote to the believers in Rome, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." (Romans 12:1)

We should see our new life in Christ as a thank-offering to God and our desire should be to live in such a way that is pleasing to him, not just on Sunday, but every day of the week. In everything we do, we should do it for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31).  

As I sit with these thoughts, I have to wonder though if I am even remotely hitting the mark. Do I view it as an act of worship when I pick up the phone at work, or answer yet another email, or put on another load of laundry at the house, or wash a stack of dishes? Am I giving glory to God or am I complaining about all the work I have to do?

Once again silence on my part.

Even though I say that I want to live a life of worship, it seems my follow through is weak most days. I confess that I spend more time than I should complaining and whining about how unfair it all is. Friends, if you struggle with this too, I believe what we need to do is to build up our spiritual muscles and that begins with obedience.

Let me just begin by saying if I thought forgiveness was hard last week, obedience is even harder for me! Obedience and submission are not character traits that come easily to me, and so I decided to look up the definition to get a better handle on this elusive concept.

Merriam-Webster defines obedience as, “an act or instance of obeying.” It’s active; therefore, if I am going to be obedient to God, I should seek to do the things he wants me to do like loving my neighbor (Mark 12:31), turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), not lying (even little white lies) (Exodus 20:16), and not having any other gods before him (Exodus 20:3).

Things that I know we are supposed to do. Things that are pleasing to God; however, understand that I’m not saying we can earn our salvation. We are saved by grace and not by works: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9) However, once we are saved, we are “to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians 2:12-13)

I read that the Greek verb that is translated as “work out” means "to continually work to bring something to completion or fruition." Once again, we see action on our part. We are to actively pursue the things that God has planned for us to do each day, which helps us to grow in holiness and likeness of Christ. Thus, fulfilling his good purpose that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

Yet, like forgiveness, it’s not always easy to be obedient when the stakes are high. When we find ourselves in situations where we know that obeying God will lead us into the fire and not away from it. I think of all the saints who walked the path of martyrdom rather than renounce Jesus as their Savior; so many who said yes to God when no was the easier answer.

People like Esther.

We know her story; the beautiful woman who became queen and saved her people, but I heard something recently that was new to me. They were discussing the book of Esther on Lisa Harper’s Back Porch Theology, and they made the comment that Esther would have been very young when she was taken by force to join the king’s harem. I’ve always pictured her like Gal Gadot, a tough ‘wonder woman’ type of character, but never once did I picture her as a young teenager barely out of adolescences. It makes sense, though, from what we know about the culture. At that time, once a girl reached puberty, they were married; therefore, Esther would have been barely a teenager.

So here was a very young Esther in a place where she didn’t want to be, yet we see obedience in her. She listened to her Uncle Mordecai when he challenged her with those words we know so well:

“For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14)

A.B Simpson, founder of the Christian and Missionary Alliance, wrote “God is preparing his heroes, and when the opportunity comes, he can fit them into their places in a moment, and the world will wonder where they came from.”

“For such a time as this” God had Esther ready, and we see that there is nothing in this world that is outside of his influence. We also know that God will accomplish his purpose even if his servants refuse to obey his will. If Esther had said no, she would not go before the king and risk her own life, God would have still saved his people. However, Esther would have been the loser.

And the same is true for us. If we refuse to obey God, he can either move on and get someone else to do the job, or he can discipline us until we surrender to his will. For example, look at the lives of John Mark and Jonah. When John Mark left Paul and Barnabus and returned home (Acts 13:13; 15:36-41), God raised up Timothy to take his place (Acts 16:1-3). And when Jonah ran from God, the Lord dealt with him severely (Jonah 1:17).

Friends, I don’t want to end up in the belly of a whale, and the thing is, I want to be obedient not because I have to, but because I want to. I want to be obedient because I love my Savior.

Therefore, I will take James’ challenge to heart and not merely listen to the words of truth… I will do what it says (James 1:22)!  I am going to try and stop complaining so much and start praying instead, and I hope you will join me in that prayer!

Lord, create in your people a heart of worship. A heart that is undivided. A heart that is obedient to you!

For the glory of God!  Lisa

Discussion Questions

What does it mean to present your bodies as a living sacrifice?

Has there been a time in your life when you felt that God brought you to it for his purpose?  How did you respond?

What steps can you take to ensure your actions glorify God?