Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found.
Obedience in simple terms is hearing the Word of God and acting on it. Obedience is not merely about following the rules, but about a relationship of trust and submission to God’s authority. When we obey God’s commands there is peace and a sense of fulfillment that follows.
Obedience is a core aspect of our Christian lives. God expects us to obey Him. Our full obedience is a requirement for our spiritual growth. Throughout Israel’s journey to the promised land, obedience was the key message and is still very crucial in our Christian lives. Our obedience should be driven by our love for God. We must love God with all our heart, mind, and soul; then obedience will be easy because we will desire to bring honor to God. Therefore, if we truly love God, we show it by living a life of obedience to His commands. There is no point in being Christians if we will not learn to obey the One who gave us a reason to live.
Our obedience is an act of faith. Obeying God means that we trust Him, and when we obey, it is accounted to us as the evidence of our faith. We have examples in Noah who built an ark and saved his household, Abraham who was ready to offer up Isaac even though he was the promised son, and Joshua who led the Israelites to march around Jericho for seven days. Their obedience was a demonstration of their strong faith in God. Even when things are tough or when we don’t understand why we must obey God’s commands; He still expects us to obey Him. Our obedience is required even when visible odds are against us.
When we obey God success becomes our reward. To be successful, we must read the Word of God and obey it. Joshua 1:8 says, “Study this Book of Instruction continually. Meditate on it day and night so you will be sure to obey everything written in it. Only then will you prosper and succeed in all you do.” According to the Bible, obedience to the Lord is the prerequisite for prosperity. We succeed and can fulfill the purpose for which we were created when we obey God and live by His will.
Our obedience to God comes with a lot of good things, including blessings. Deuteronomy 28:1-14 outlines the blessings that God will give us if we obey him. Sometimes we are misled to think that as long as we pray or believe in God we will be blessed; blessings come through full obedience. Obeying God comes first then blessings come after. Hence, blessings come through obedience.
In conclusion, as we are on this Christian journey, obedience is not always easy and sometimes it requires our sacrifice and reading the Word of God so that we may be careful to obey all his commands. If we pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help us, we will be able to be obedient to all his commands even when it requires a lot from us.
By Bishop Onismo Goronga, Bible League International staff, Zimbabwe
