Obedience or disobedience, which one will it be that works in your life?
This choice is in the foundation of all things, and it determines whether you will be in the will of God or not in the will of God. It decides life or death, offense or grace, sin or righteousness; it will be one or the other.
It was by one man’s disobedience that sin entered into the world, and death came by sin. That means a lot of consequence is riding on disobedience in your life.
If you choose to walk in disobedience, and not obey the truth of God, then you must be prepared to experience sin and death in your world.
And that sin and death will continue in your world forever until you perish in it or until obedience is finally worked in your life to stop death from working.
At the same time, by one man’s obedience, many were made righteous, allowing grace to work where there was much offense in disobedience. This proves that obedience has a significant effect on your life as well.
If you choose to walk in obedience, always obeying the commandments of God, then you will experience the life and peace that Jesus walked in every day.
Obedience will bring you to justification and righteousness in God.
You take all the examples in the bible, and you will see two very distinct patterns; disobedience and obedience. When kings walked in disobedience against God, He turned their whole kingdom over to their enemies. And in many cases, they fell under much destruction.
But when kings chose to fear the Lord and walk in obedience, there was always peace and victory in their kingdom, and no enemy could ever prevail against God’s people. Those nations that feared the Lord carried a big reputation that they were the children of God, and their enemies feared them greatly.
I cannot stress enough the importance of obedience in your walk with Jesus Christ. It is the one thing that will cause you to inherit God’s kingdom. You don’t become a servant of God without being obedient to God. You will never possess the heavens’ secrets without being obedient to the words of Jesus. Being obedient brings the righteousness of God into your life.
Being obedient will bring you to the death of yourself and make you alive in Jesus Christ. Without the death of the old man working, you cannot experience the fullness of God. This death doesn’t have to happen overnight; it can be a daily progression. That’s why obedience is so powerful because it leads you to the cross, which is the place of death. Every time you’re obedient to God, you prepare yourself for your greatest act of obedience, which is to lay your life down for the kingdom.
Every time you obey the truth, it leads you to places in Christ that you could never experience for yourself without God. It will cause you to stand before your creator, being made righteous by His faith that you received and obeyed.
Look at the life and words of Jesus; He said His Father gave Him commandments and that He obeyed those commandments. His obedience to His Father brought forth righteousness and made Him blameless before His Father and even to the salvation of the world.
Abraham was the father of all nations, and it was his belief in God that caused him not to stagger at the promises of God; instead, his obedience brought forth righteousness so that he pleased Him who called him.
What truly makes you righteous in the eyes of God is not how much you can give to God or how perfect you are in your giving of it. But it’s your obedience to do what He commands you. Just because you think you have much to give doesn’t mean you do. The thing that God asks of you is the thing you want to give. If it’s five talents, then bring back ten. If it’s two talents, then bring back four. It doesn’t matter how much you have as long as what you have comes from God. That’s what you want to be faithful and obedient to.
The obedient heart doesn’t always dwell on how much he has to give or be obedient to. He is willing to give it all and not look back! Because he realizes that his reward is with God and not on the earth. Giving up his will and desires are top priority, knowing that righteousness with God is far greater than his own righteousness. Therefore earthly desires, including earthly possessions, begin to mean little to the obedient servant of God. That’s because he counts it all as waste anyway that he may win Christ and be found in Him. (And that’s a mouth full.)
On the other hand, the disobedient heart is always looking for a shortcut in everything. How can I serve God and not give up my own desires while doing it? Did God really mean ten percent, or can I get away with five? Disobedience is what makes you the servant of sin, which brings forth unrighteousness.
Disobedience takes the one talent you have and buries it, never adding to what God gave you. Only one day to have that talent taken away and be given to those who are obedient. The very end to disobedience is darkness, damnation, and destruction. When Jesus reveals disobedience in you, quickly agree with Him by obeying His word and turn away from your disobedience.
Sometimes I think we believe the little things in our hearts don’t matter, but I say the contrary. The more disobedience works in your thoughts, the more sin and death will work in your life. Likewise, the more obedience that works in your life, the more righteousness will work in you to please God. And when it’s all said and done, the difference between the two does matter.
So let’s not continue to follow the ways of the first man Adam because a greater than Adam is here, and His name is Jesus. If you remain in the disobedient mindset of the first man Adam, you will remain in sin and death. But if you hear the word of the Lord and walk in obedience to Jesus Christ, you will find the answer to true righteousness with God.
Obedience or disobedience, which one will it be?