Obedience is Not for Sissies

Obedience to God is not a part time job. Anyone can maintain obedience when obeying is easy and you are not looking trouble in the face. Determining to stay obedient when friends and family turn against you or when Trouble lines up like soldiers taking pot shots at you, well, that's another whole level all together.

I teach a class of 'tweens – 11-13 yrs old - at church and it struck me yesterday they are a good example of new Believers. They have an understanding of salvation, faith, obedience, and of the sacrifice Jesus pain for them but it somewhat like a page in a coloring book. They understand what it is by the outline of the picture but their grasp and knowledge stops there. It is the maturing faith and revelation knowledge that colors in the whole picture. At this point in their faith walk, they are learning to apply it in their own lives to see how it is relevant to them and the situations they face.

During our class this past Sunday, we talked about obedience to God and His ways in the face of adversity. At a time in their lives when they are trying to spread their wings and flex their muscles of individualism and independence, they came face to face with the information that redeeming grace and faith retains no privileges; it cannot cling to cherished sins, treasured possessions, or secret indulgences. In order to walk in obedience to God they must completely surrender, 'to do anything the Lord demands.' My 'tweens' are not the only ones that hear this concept with a look of bewilderment. Gaining freedom thru Christ by surrendering their rights to 'self' and all that 'self' entails at a time when self is largely all they think about requires a paradigm change.

I take issues they face and use them to paint word pictures of godly principles. They can relate to dealing with an annoying sibling or someone at school that is bullying them or spreading rumors about them. Painful family issues bring grown people to their knees; imagine what it does to a child with limited understanding of the big picture. The isolation they feel in any of those situations makes dealing with the emotions almost impossible. Knowing their issues are not so different from the family down the street or the popular kid at school helps but it is the loving 'of thine enemies' that makes them stop short in their tracks. Not striking back at those that harm us is most difficult on the best of days so it seems impossible when they are feeling shunned, hurt, betrayed, isolated, etc. Learning that obedience to God means loving that unlovable individual or group of people regardless of how they abuse us a daunting task. They hear me say it becomes easier when following Jesus and their faith walk matures but I bet they don't really believe it just yet. My goal is to assure them that as spiritual understanding opens their eyes, ears and hearts, the desire for obedience grows and an eagerness to please Christ replaces their impulse to strike back at those that wound us. This is a lesson they will only truly understand as they grow in Christ.

This is true of 'tweens' of all ages. We all spend time between our first glimpses at the Lordship of Christ and the realization of revelation knowledge. We are all 'tweens' in that regard and obedience comes like an ebbing tide. Sometimes we rush in and other times we pull back. True faith is humble, submissive obedience. May we all get to the point in our faith walk where we no longer struggle for our self, but willingly rush to the foot of the throne in eager obedience.