Obedience. Tough word. You can’t get very far into Scripture without realizing a couple things. One, God desires obedience. Two, we’re not very good at it.
We have to learn obedience because it does not come naturally to us.
I love two-year-old children. That stage of development has been labeled the “Terrible Two’s.” First time parents always seem slightly taken aback by their two-year-old’s. The perfect, adorable, sweet little infant has for the first time begun to display the sin nature that is inherent in all of us.
Terrible Two’s quickly learn a few words that describe the place where they are in life. “No!” “Mine!” “Me do!”
In adulthood we slightly bigger words to describe the stage we are in. “Rebellion! “Selfishness! “Self-Rule.” In other words, disobedience.
Just like parents must now begin to teach obedience to their toddlers, so the Lord upon salvation begins to teach us obedience. Some of the Lord’s commands are easy to obey, others are more difficult. God will not give up, however, until His love in us is made complete in our obedience.
1 John 3:23-24: Now this is His command: that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as He commanded us. The one who keeps His commands remains in Him, and He in him. And the way we know that He remains in us is from the Spirit He has given us. [HCSB]
