Obeying God: The Learning Process
“In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety. Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation…”
(Hebrews 5:7-9).
On long road trips in unfamiliar places, we sometimes start wondering if we are going the right way. Following the Lord’s will can seem like that too. Though God may reveal His plan to us, the steps to achieving it aren’t always obvious. To learn obedience requires moving ahead at God’s signal, even when every detail is not clear.
As we travel along a path of obedience, we will most likely experience conflict. Challenges could arise because what we think or want is contrary to God’s plan. Or there could be conflict between God’s values and the world’s. (2 Corinthians 7:5) We who are children of light must be willing to encounter conflict – we have to move through it and obey.
A life of obedience also includes submitting to earthly authority. (Romans 13:1) God has given some people jursidiction over us so that we can learn what it means to obey. Obedience also requires learning submission to God (Hebrews 12:9) whose way is perfect. We are to surrender our desires to His, even when we do not understand or when the cost seems too high. Finally, to learn obedience requires a willingness to accept divine chastisement. There isn’t one of us who lives a perfect life – we go off course daily. God, out of His great love, will discipline us in order to turn us back toward Him. (Hebrews 12:6-7 NIV)
Although there is a learning curve for obedience, God has equipped us with His Spirit to teach us, and He expects us to master our lessons. What kind of student are you?
Related Links:
Nine Principles of Effective Leadership:
http://www.retirementwithapurpose.com/kjkleadership.html
About the Author
This article was written by Charles Stanley. You can read more about this author by clicking this link:
http://www.talk.thelife.com/charles-stanley/
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