Obedience School

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." ~The Apostle Paul

Can I get an "Amen! Halleluiah!"

Dear Mom & Dad,
I know you told me to wash the dishes, take out the garbage, clean my room, and do my homework. And I know you have said in the past that I'm not allow to eat any snacks right before dinner, and that I can't play video games after 8 o'clock. But lately this whole following-orders thing has become kinda boring and I don't really feel like you care. So, I just don't want to do it any more. And since you're always telling me to be myself, I figured it was time I stop trying to be who you want me to be, and make my own path in the world.

Sincerely, 
Your favorite 8-year old

PS. I'm too tired and sick to make it to school this morning. 

How would a good parent respond to a situation like this? Lay down the law perhaps? Show the kid who is really in charge? A great parent might even send the kid to school anyway to learn first hand the consequences of disobedience (including the whopping red "F" on that homework he sloughed off). 
How you would deal with the situation is not my business. All I can tell you is how God has dealt with me, and how he has handled other such disobedient characters in the Bible. Ananias and Sapphira tell a fib and are struck dead. Lot's wife turns to see the destruction of her home and is turned into a pillar of salt. Uzzah touches the ark of God to keep it from falling and is struck dead. Jonah flees the Lord's commission and is caught in a violent storm and dragged to the bottom of the sea in a stinky, fish gullet. David counts his armies and God sends a plague to kill 70,000 people. The people of Israel turn to other gods over, and over, and over and God puts them under the sword, whip, famine and pestilence. 
God is not mocked. Our Father disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12).
The 8-year old in the letter above met with some of the natural consequences of disobedience. After all, as parents and responsible adults we don't just make up rules for the fun of it. I told little Jimmy he couldn't play with the table saw because he "might get hurt." Pph haa hahaha! We give rules and instructions because we want our kids to be safe, healthy, respectful, and responsible. We want them to have a good future. God knows this. 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. “Honor your father and mother”—which is the first commandment with a promise—“so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” (Ephesians 6:1-3)

Obedience to your parents will result in long (and good) life because your parents want to teach you the best way to live. God was willing to back the command with a promise. He promotes obedience within a healthy child-to-parent relationship.
Who are we, then, to disobey and dishonor our perfect heavenly Father?  

As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:14-16)

 God is not mocked. The command is given. Obedience is called for. Should we obey, there will be positive consequences.

Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart. (1 Peter 1:22)

It is through obedience that our souls are purified. We wouldn't know what it truly meant to be holy unless God gave us examples (Old Testament priesthood, Jesus, and the lives of the saints) and directions (much of which can be found in scripture to set a baseline). He gives us a direction; he leads us like a good shepherd to green pastures and calm waters. We must follow. As we follow we discover more and more the holiness of God, and become more and more like him in his holiness.

"Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." ~The Apostle Paul

It Means More Than That

"If you love me, keep my commands...If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love." ~Jesus

The words of Jesus beg the question of the 80's hit, "What's love got to do with it?" There is a strong push in much of the modern evangelical church to steer clear of anything that could possibly be seen as, or turn into legalism; and with good reason. In Jesus' day he was constantly speaking out against the "yeast of the pharisees," and all of man's attempts at controlling the favor of God. Since that time we have seen throughout history the negative impact that other such man made powers have had on our world and the personal life of the believer. Down through the ages, we have placed religious burdens on each other in the name of Christ. And before we start pointing fingers at anyone in particular let's be clear that liturgical churches are not the only ones who generate such religious requirements.

But I digress.

The point is that a movement has arisen swinging so far in the other direction that they would hesitate to spend much time around even Jesus' commands and calls to obedience. Sure, if I love Jesus, I'll listen to him and do what he says. But if my heart and my love aren't in it, then it would be hypocritical of me to follow and obey. So rather than become a Pharisee and try to manipulate God, I'll just live however I feel, because that is what God really wants.

...

"What's love, but a second hand emotion?" so the song says, and we have bought the line. If I don't feel the emotion, I don't really love. So I shouldn't obey because that would be pretending to love. 

How many parents do I have in the audience? Are there ever times when you find the warm fuzzies you have for your little darlings completely buried beneath the shrieks, tantrums, mischievous acts, and perpetual messes produced by said darlings? Not a lot of lovey-dovey emotions come out of those moments. Does that mean you have stopped loving your children? Even as a teacher I come upon countless moments in a day when frustration and consternation abound. Yet my love for my students never ceases. That's not to say that my love for them is always what causes me to respond the way I do. I'm still learning, growing, and making mistakes. But I am still here. I am still teaching. I have not given up on them, and I haven't given up on my love for them. My love for them is not switched on and off by the presence or absence of an emotion. 

The love remains because there is a relationship, not an emotion. A connection has been created; a connection that spurs us on to follow this God who loves us. As we then listen to his voice and follow his direction for our lives, as we pursue that most trustworthy relationship, we will remain in His love.
We have believed the lie. The lie says, "there are times when it is wrong to obey God." We have decided that it is hypocritical to behave like children of God when we don't feel like children of God. But here's the crux of the issue, God is the one who has called us his children. More than that, He called us to be his children long before we ever felt like it. So it doesn't matter if we feel like his children or not. He says we are.
Ergo, if we ever don't act like his children (no matter our feelings at the time) it is then that we become hypocrites.
"Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22).
Listen and Obey: the words may sound like the beginnings of a cold and empty religion, but who can hear the instruction of God without having an encounter with him? What human being can bring his own worldly-driven flesh into obedience to God's instruction without being completely connected to God's spirit and trusting in God's power and promise. It is not even possible to listen and obey without abiding in, walking beside, and relating with Him. 

That being said, certainly, we must be careful that we are not listening to and obeying the religious loads that Satan, the world, and our flesh would put on us to hinder us in our walk with the Lord. And there are many well-meaning people in the world who will try to give us one more thing to carry. But that is all the more reason to keep pursuing the genuine relationship (whether we feel it or not) so that we will be able to hear God's desires for each of our lives as we each walk the paths He has prepared for us. 

Let me end with this encouragement, as the task of discerning God's path for me seems rather daunting in the midst of all the voices that claim to know. God knows you. God knows how best to communicate with you. Some of what he wants to tell you has already been written down, and so part of that listening includes seeking his will in the written words of scripture (if you have the ability to read--which you do, if you've made it this far--and access to the resource). The rest of what he has to tell you, he will tell you. 
God is not interested in hiding his will for the present. The future He hides most frequently, but his desire for the now is never so cryptic that we cannot walk forward in faith as we listen and obey in love.

PS. If you're still not convinced, ask yourself this one question: Did Jesus feel like loving you as he prayed in the garden of Gethsemane? 
You can find the answer in Matthew 26, Mark 14, and Luke 22.