Disobedience is failing to obey God. It is the foundation of everything about our relationship with God. In disobedience, hope, faith and love are meaningless. Disobedience is an act of rebellion against God for, it rivals God’s authority. Each and every disobedience to God is a sin. Isaiah 51: 12-13 says, “I, even I, am he who comforts you. Who are you that you fear mere mortals, human beings who are but grass, that you forget the Lord your maker, who stretches out the heavens and who lays the foundations of the earth. We obey mortals or human beings rather than God.
Why do we disobey God?
We disobey God because we do not fear him. When the disciples were given strict orders not to teach in the name of Christ Jesus, led by Peter in the fear of God, they said in Acts 5: 29, “We must obey God rather than human beings! It is not ordinary to disobey God for Paul said in Ephesians 6: 12, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. We are accountable for disobedience because Satan does not force us to disobey God. He rather entices us away from God.
We take God for granted because of his nature. Exodus 34: 6 says, “The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness. (Read Numbers 14: 18; Nehemiah 9: 17; Psalm 86: 15; 103: 8; 145: 8.) Joel 2: 13; Jonah 4: 2 add, he relents from sending calamity. Nahum 1: 3 says, the Lord is slow to anger but great in power; the Lord will not leave the guilty unpunished. We take his grace for granted so Paul asked in Romans 6: 15, shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! God’s grace may not be available after death, and death knocks unannounced.
How do we disobey God?
We disobey God by doing what we ought not to do; and failing to do what we ought to do. In disobeying God, we betray our faithfulness and rather align with Satan. God cherishes obedience most as true worship. Quoting the prophet Isaiah, Jesus said in Matthew 15: 8-9; Mark 7: 6-7, “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their hearts are merely human rules.” 1Samuel 15: 22 says, ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
The Israelites, frightened by God’s appearance in awe and fire on Mount Horeb, asked for God’s presence in another form. In response, Moses said in Deuteronomy 18: 15, the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him. At Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 17: 5; Mark 9: 7; Luke 9: 35, a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.” These were the exact words spoken by Moses as a prophecy.
“Listen to him” means to obey what he says. Jesus said in John 5: 37, the Father who sent me has himself testified concerning me. Further, he said in John 12: 49, for I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. God speaks to us through the bible, his true words of prophecy, and Holy Spirit inspired literature. Matthew 6: 33 says, but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. In conflict of choice, God’s will must prevail. Matthew 7: 21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Lip service is not enough obedience.
What is the character of disobedience?
Our preference or choice above God’s will is idolatry. Jesus said in Matthew 16: 26; Mark 8: 36; Luke 9: 25, what good will it be for someone to gain the whole world yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? The worldly reputation or honour, if they are at the expense of complying with God’s will, is unworthy. Are we ashamed of doing God’s will? Jesus said in Mark 8: 38; Luke 9: 26, if anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory and with the holy angels.
The worldly humiliation or shame we hope to avoid contrary to God’s will cannot pay for eternal life. Matthew 5: 29-30 say; if your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell (See Matthew 18: 8-9; Mark 9: 43-47).
How can we refrain from disobeying God?
We must be bold for Christ Jesus. Paul wrote Philippians 1: 20, I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. He said in Romans 1: 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to anyone who believes first to the Jews, then to the Gentile. 1 Peter 4: 16 says, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name.
Paul wrote in Galatians 2: 20, I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. We must live for the one who owns us by purchase with his blood, Jesus Christ. Romans 14: 7-8 say, for none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone. If we live, we live for the Lord; and if we die, we die for the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. As servants of God, our foremost duty is not to disobey our Master but to obey him.
Reflection
Revelation 1: 8 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” Do we respond to the one who was wounded for our transgression and who is to come as our judge? Is Christ Jesus, the first in our lives above all enticing worldly offers? Proverbs 14: 12; 16: 25 say, there is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Jesus said in Luke 15: 4-5, “do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more… Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.
Prayer
Dear Lord Jesus Christ, mercifully heal our disobedience to your will. Cleanse our thoughts and minds and soften our hearts to obey your will. Wash away our sins of disobedience in your blood. We pray in your Holy name, Amen!!
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