Obedience that pleases God?
A Christian cannot feign obedience and get away with it.
Often, many men and women see only what is visible, and they make assessments based on it. But God sees beyond this.
“But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.“ (1 Samuel 16:7 (NKJV))
Here are some of the significant verses from the Holy Bible on obedience:
John 14:15 “If you love me, keep my commandments”,
Acts 5:29 “We must obey God rather than men”,
1 Samuel 15:22 “To obey is better than sacrifice”, and
Isaiah 1:19 “If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land”.
The Bible shows many instances of obedience as an expression of love of God, faith in God, and trusting in God. Obedience flows from response to a relationship with God.
This can be seen in the obedience of children to their parents in strong and good families where love binds them together. This obedience can also be seen between a spouses as they obey the partner, pleasing each other from a place of love, trust, and faithfulness.
As we grow in obedience to God, we can also grow in discernment to know the state of our fellow human being.
God sees the heart. Some Christians have gained this ability and do see the “state of the heart” and “intent of the heart” of others to some extent.
In so many instances, Jesus knew the heart and thoughts of people around him. Without their speaking, he could discern this, and he gave them the most apt response. They were not only surprised that Jesus knew their secret thoughts, which they had not spoken about, but also his precise and appropriate response silenced them.
The obedience that pleases God often reminds of total surrender, even to the extant of looking foolish in the worldly sense. It comes from total surrender to God without leaning on to our understanding.
Here are some instances from the Bible.
Jesus Christ getting baptised by John the baptist. Here we know that Father God speaks about His being well pleased about Jesus.
Abraham, the father of Isaac, pleased God when He willingly went ahead to sacrifice his son, who was born in his old age.
Mary’s quick willingness to obey God when angel Gabriel announced about the birth of Jesus Christ through her pleased God. She did not reason out how this would have to be handled.
Hope by now you have got an understanding of the type of obedience to God that pleases God. More updates will be posted within a week.
