5 Lessons I've Learned from Being Obedient
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”
In January of 2020, everyone was writing down goals for the year. I sat staring blankly into space because I have come to understand that God does not bend to our well-thought-out plans. Where would I be in 3 months? 6 months? December 2020? I had no idea, but I was confident that God would probably put me in some places I would never have thought of, most likely uncomfortable, almost guaranteed to be difficult.
And it happened as such. Being commissioned to lead a study of the Psalms was difficult enough. Add in a Youtube channel and 90 videos to complement the study, and I had an assignment that was beyond uncomfortable. But throughout the past 5 years or so, I’ve learned that obedience, or disobedience rather, has consequences. I no longer debate myself - either I choose to be obedient or I buckle up for the long and difficult ride that tends to just be a circle. So, I chose to accept the call.
The joke is that no one’s goals for 2020 have shaped out the way they were intended to. The shut-down due to COVID-19 had an impact on my assignment as well. Instead of being able to fly under the radar and invite people to join a 90-day challenge as an addendum to their already-busy lives, I was forced into a position of challenging people who no longer had the distractions of “normal” life. And so, despite my best efforts, I was going to be watched and I was going to have to keep people engaged. Most importantly, I was forced to be diligent AND accurate - to provide theologically-sound, exegeted interpretations of a book of poetry that has historically been squeezed down to a few Scriptures for songs and often excluded in church teachings.
Now, standing on the other side of this assignment, I know what I have always known - that being forced into an uncomfortable position with uncomfortable expectations and difficult lessons is necessary for growth. Today, I want to share some of those areas of growth:
1. You can’t do it on your own:
God doesn’t give us assignments based on our human abilities. He purposefully gives us tests that will force us to rely on Him more than on ourselves or others. The saying “God will never give us more than we can handle” although it sounds lovely, is actually an incorrect translation of a verse that discusses temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13), and has perpetuated the belief that our strength and knowledge are enough.
We aren’t enough for what God wants to do with us. If we were, we wouldn’t need Him, and we certainly wouldn’t have needed Jesus to come and save us. The power of Christ rests on us through our deficiencies (2 Corinthians 12:9). God is glorified through our weakness, our ignorance, our humility. Our success in completing God-given assignments should not be based on how well we prepared or performed, but on how much glory God was given throughout the process. Which brings me to my next point...
2. It’s most likely about you and God, not the audience:
“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. ”
About one-third of the way through the 90 days a wonderful friend (who just so happens to have an amazing book) reminded me that views and numbers are not important. “You are being obedient to God’s instruction. That’s all that matters” she said. From that point on, my sole focus was on my assignment and God; video watches and social media likes needed to become background blurs.
Of course, God does use us to impact other people, but sometimes obedience is just about relationship with Him. Obedience involves reliance, trust, and a deepening of communication. Navigating big assignments should catapult our prayer lives and open us up to a flow of revelations from God. Each assignment comes (or at least should) with a new level of understanding of and communion with God. After His glory, we should be concerned next with what we are supposed to get out of it and lastly, how others benefit.
3. Obedience tests our doubts and fears:
This is pretty self-explanatory. I’ve never received a divine assignment that was comfortable. In fact, it seems like God places me wherever I’m most uncomfortable - sitting in front of a camera and talking for 90 days for example.
Regardless of where they may originate from, doubt and fear are real human emotions. They actually do have purpose in life, usually in the form of self-preservation and safety. The problem is that we often place these emotions above God rather than submitting them to Him. But of course, our all-knowing Father knows the remedy - He puts us in positions in which we have no choice but to confront ourselves. We have been commanded to cast all of our worries onto Him. Obedience both to the assignment and to the commandment will reveal where we have positioned our emotions - particularly our worries and doubts.
4. Obedience builds character, faith, and perseverance:
Humility and trust are both to prompt and grow with obedience. Stagnancy and obedience cannot (should not) exist together. If you don’t come out on the other side of an assignment or test from God with more humility, greater faith, and stronger endurance, something went amiss (I’ll talk more about this in number 5).
2 Peter 1:5-8 (ESV) says “For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Effort is needed in obedience - the more we put in, the more we will get out AND the more God will be glorified.
5. Obedience is a lifestyle:
“Do all things without grumbling or disputing, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain. Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. ”
The basis of this post is one particular assignment. But the fact of the matter is that obedience to God, His commandments, and commissions is supposed to be our lifestyle. We are called to live our lives for God, not for ourselves or anyone else. It’s not an easy lifestyle, but it’s one with eternal benefits and earthly significance. We often fall more into the category of acquiescence than obedience, out of stubbornness, selfishness, pride, and many other human faults.
Submitting our lives to God through obedience can be painful. We may feel that we are missing out on great things that others get to experience. It usually doesn’t look the way we want it to. Dreams get deferred and plans get rearranged. It can be frustrating. But there’s nothing in this world that outweighs what God can offer us. Not only does obedience give us access to peace, hope, and joy in our lives now, but it further ensures our place in heaven through our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.
I’m glad I’m done. My husband is glad this assignment is done, and I can guarantee my son is too, given that the morning after Day 90 I was greeted with “Mom, you’re done with the 90 days - now you can spend time with me!”. But I don’t regret any of it; I’m actually honored. It’s almost surreal that this all has come and gone. And I only have God to thank. So, whether it’s a huge, seemingly crazy assignment or a tiny task, remember it has value, it has power, and it has lasting results. Obedience is always the way to go.