Never Doubt Obedience

By Carin Leroy –

My three-year-old grandson and his family visited recently, and his Mom was trying to get him potty-trained. Since I had a bowl of gumdrops up high, she bribed him with, “If you use the potty, I’ll give you a candy.” As he eyed the colored sweetness, he understood that if he accomplished what Mommy asked that he would get a reward. It wasn’t long before he started tearing off clothes and heading to the bathroom.

He returned with his little hand out saying, “Candy?”

Sure enough, he would get the promised treat. He learned that obeying and accomplishing a certain task provided a promised reward.

Just as my young grandson was learning the benefits of obedience, we can also be assured that when we listen and obey God’s voice that we will also be blessed.

An example of faith and obedience bringing personal blessing was David. As a young man, he was anointed to be king by the prophet Samuel (I Samuel 16). But instead, he was met with hardships for many years. Yet his choice to have faith and obedience did eventually bring him the kingship of Israel.

Many in the Bible were personally blessed because of obedience:

• Mary’s obedience meant she was the mother of Jesus.
• The widow saved her son from slavery when she obeyed the prophet by collecting many jars and filling them with the last of her oil (II Kings 4).
• Abraham became the father of a nation because he obeyed God when He said, “Go to a land I will show you” (Genesis 12).
• The disciples caught a huge net of fish because they obeyed Christ’s command to cast the net once more (John 21).
• The man born blind received his sight when he listened to Christ and washed the clay off his eyes in the Pool of Siloam (John 9).

Charles Spurgeon once said, “Love is the chief jewel in the bracelet of obedience.” Obedience will flow from a heart that truly loves God. Blessing will follow. We may not understand or see instant results (just like young David), but we can trust we will be blessed, too. Not only do we gain the benefit of growth and maturity in our spiritual life, but we reap the outcome of that step of faith to obey. Never doubt what your obedience to God will accomplish.

PRAYER: Lord, give me a heart that obeys because of a true love for You. Remove any rebellion in my life, so that I can fulfill the purpose that You have for me. Help me not to doubt what my obedience to You will accomplish.

“How blessed are those whose actions are blameless, who obey the law of the Lord. How blessed are those who observe His rules, and seek Him with all their heart, who, moreover, do no wrong, but follow in His footsteps. You demand that your precepts be carefully kept. If only I were predisposed to keep Your statutes! Then I would not be ashamed, if I were focused on all your commands…With all my heart I seek You. Do not allow me to stray from Your commands!” (Psalm 119:1–6, 10 NET).