A Heart of Obedience
“Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.”
1 Samuel 15:22 CSB
Hey friend,
How do you live out a relationship with God that is ignited? This is a question that I find myself constantly coming back to. As a follower of Jesus Christ, I want to walk in a manner worthy of my calling (Ephesians 4:1) but most of the time, I feel like I am in a never-ending tug-a-war game with myself. Can you relate? Does it feel like you take two steps forward to only take ten steps back? Friend, if it does – please know that you are not alone.
God never intended for our Christian walk to be this way. From the moment we trust Jesus as Savior and Lord, God gifts us with the Holy Spirit. He is our light, our help, our comfort, our seal, and our guide. He is God living IN us and when we yield ourselves to Him, He is the one responsible for changing us from the inside out. That is what sanctification is all about. It’s the process of growing up in our faith.
I’m learning that to have an ignited walk with God, obedience is key. God has really been teaching me a lot about obedience over the last two and half years. I wish I could tell you that I have really excelled in every lesson He has given me but that wouldn’t be the truth. We’ll talk more about my struggles with obedience in the coming weeks – there have been wins and losses – but through it all, God is merciful and patient. He hasn’t given up on me and He won’t give up on you either friend.
Obedience is such a foundational block in having an ignited walk with God. Our key verse says, “Then Samuel said: Does the Lord take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifice as much as in obeying the Lord? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.”1 Samuel 15:22
The context of our scripture occurs during the time of King Saul’s reign. King Saul had gotten a little full of himself and chose to do what he wanted to instead of what God asked him to. Saul knew that he had wronged God so he thought he could just offer a sacrifice, and all would be ok. But as our key verse tells us, God takes pleasure in our obedience more than He takes pleasure in offering a sacrifice.
As a result, Saul learned a hard life lesson. Because of King Saul’s disobedience, we see the consequences of his actions - his kingdom was taken from him.
We see this verse lived out in the life of Noah. God instructed Noah to build an Ark of detailed size when it had never rained upon the earth. God’s request must have sounded absolutely crazy, but Noah didn’t waver. Noah obeyed. God told him to do it and that was all he needed to know. Noah’s story is a reminder to all of us. When God asks us to do something, we should do it. All of it. Even if it seems weird, crazy, or doesn’t quite make sense.
Friend, God wants our hearts. He has promised a victorious Christian life this side of Heaven, full of freedom and victory but it must be lived out in obedience to Him and a surrender to the Holy Spirit. We can either be like King Saul – doing what we want to do and acting in disobedience to God – or we can be like Noah – obeying God even when it doesn’t make sense or when His request takes us out of our comfort zone. Which of the two do you want to be like?
Genesis 6:8 tells us that Noah found favor with God. Noah had a heart of obedience, love, and respect for God, and we see the reward of Noah’s obedience and faith in Hebrews 11, which by the way is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible. Notice that Noah is listed in the hall of faith, as Hebrews 11 is commonly referred to, but King Saul isn’t.
If you struggle with obedience like I do, don’t worry – we will learn together. I promise – the journey to living a life of obedience to God is totally worth it!
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for showing me how much you just want my heart. You know what is better for me more than I know myself. Forgive me of all the times I have chosen to go my own way. Help me to trust you more to know that when you ask something of me, it is for my good and not to harm me. Teach me how to lean more on you than my own understanding. I love you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen.
Dig Deeper:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 ESV
Reflection:
Why do you think you struggle with obeying God sometimes more than others?
Journal your thoughts and spend time praying over your struggles.