Psalm 128:1 Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways.
Jeremiah 7:23 ...but I gave them this command: Obey me, and I will be your God and you will be my people. Walk in all the ways I command you, that it may go well with you.
James 1:22 Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.
We adopted an adorable five year old dog from our local animal shelter this past summer. Kita is a very smart girl, and when she wants to, she can obey with the best of them... sit, stay, wait, heel, down, come... but only when she believes it is in her best interest... waiting for her food, going out for a walk, the promise
of a belly rub, anticipating a treat...
But at other times, she can be stubborn and disobedient. When she believes her way is better, she chooses to disobey. She chooses her own path. We have learned that she is what they call a "runner." If she gets out on her own, she will run far from you and not come back. She turns her sweet, scruffy face away and pretends she doesn't even know you... she runs away and won't listen to our voice calling her back home.
Off she goes, running free with exhilaration and abandon; not realizing that she is running away from her safety. Running away from her source of life. While we are calling her back home, she willfully and naturally chooses the wrong way. I'm sure it feels exciting and marvelous at the time, but I'm afraid there will be a time when she realizes she has made a mistake and she is so very far away...
Obedience. Even those of us who tend to be rule followers will sometimes bristle at the word... we can feel stifled, constrained, restricted. But obedience to God is just the opposite... obedience means journeying on His path, staying in His will. Experiencing all the fullness of life that He had always planned for us. When we obey God, we are running with Him... fully participating in His will.
Disobeying God and His commands can take us in an opposite direction from His will for us. Our disobedience brings us to places He never meant for us to be -- places so very far from His intentions for our lives. Places where we are in danger of losing our way...
Dear Heavenly Father, Your commands are good. Your plans are perfect. LORD, I want to run with You, not run away from You. I praise You because You have such a wonderful path for me... designed by You, my Creator, specifically for me. Please help me to remember that obedience to Your Word means freedom. Freedom to enjoy an abundant life centered firmly in You. Amen.
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