Which came first? The obeying or the feeling like I want to obey?

I have been struggling lately with the whole idea of obedience.  In an ideal world, I should appreciate what God has done for me so much that I cannot help but want to live a life worthy of my appreciation.  We don't live in an ideal world. I live in a world that pushes me intentionally away from appreciation of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross.  Whether this push comes from within me or from outside forces, the constant is always to push away from appreciation and towards created things.  When the prophet Nathan confronted David with the sin of murder and adultery, God said "Why have you despised me?". 

To add to that, we live in a culture that tells us that if we don't feel like doing it, don't.  Instant gratification is the ultimate goal and is celebrated.  In fact if you tell someone that they  cannot be instantly gratified, they feel that their rights are being imposed upon and you are discriminating against them. 

So how does this fit into obedience?  This again is from Rosario Butterfield as she reflected on her experience leaving the LGBT community that she had been part of for many years and submitting to God and her local church.

"I learned that we must obey in faith before we feel better or different.

At this time, though, obeying in faith, to me, felt like throwing myself off a cliff.

Faith that endures is heroic, not sentimental."

 

 

To me the word obedience has a tone of doing something even when we don't feel like it.  I find that in my life if God is pursuing me and drawing me closer to him, He is digging into the deep parts of my heart that will require me to obey..... in faith.

Good Teachers

I have lately been reading the book "The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert" by Rosario Butterfield.  It is a story of her life as she went from a place of unbelief in Jesus Christ and His saving grace to a place of belief.  Her story is an important one to consider because she was a lesbian activist and through the work of the Holy Spirit and the willingness of a 70 year old pastor couple to reach out to her, she became a believer in Jesus Christ as her personal savior.  Over the next few days I will be pulling some quotes from her book that I have found important and useful for living in the culture that we are in. This following quote resonated with me as a teacher and communicator.

 

"Good teachers make it possible for people to change their positions without shame."

 

 

She was talking about Ken who was the pastor who reached out to her.  He talked to her and formed a relationship with her that allowed her to question her own firmly entrenched beliefs without condemning her.  As I prepare for leading my church through the steps of making church membership a real and vital part of our lives, I need to remember that just swinging the two by four of truth without the gentleness of grace, may work with some but will also cause others to outright reject what I am saying.  So the question that I am asking myself today is, how can I communicate in a way that allows people to really look at their lives and question how they are living without them getting their backs up and just rejecting everything that I have to say.

 

I think the word is challenge.  How can I challenge them to see things differently?  When I am challenged, what does that begin with?

 

Scripture challenges.....

Real-ness challenges....

Vision challenges.....

Authenticity challenges....

 

Therefore I am committed to honestly communicate the truth of scripture in a way that shows people what their lives could be like when they fully submit to God in every facet of their lives.