"Obey is a 4 Letter Word"

Passage: 1 Samuel 15:22

"And Samuel said, Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams."

OBEY...

Have you ever been in a situation where you were compelled to obey something... some authority... and you just didn't want to do it? I suppose that would cover just about all of us, at one time or another.

In most cases, we don't spend too much time thinking about it - we just go about our business, and sometimes our disobedience is never even given a second glance. And then, there are other times, when we are called on the carpet for our transgression, and life starts to get a bit exciting!

OBEY...

Do you think obedience is important to God? I can assure you that the correct answer is "yes, it is"! Beyond knowing the correct answer, though - one needs to ask, and answer the question: *how important* is obedience to God? You might be surprised at the answer!

You see, the greatest demand of God is not that man should bear the cross, serve, make offerings or deny himself... the greatest demand of God is that we obey!

God told King Saul to attack the Amalekites in 1 Samuel chapter 15. Saul was told by God to utterly destroy them, and yet, after they conquored the Amalekites, Agag (the King of the Amalekites), and all the best things, including the best sheep, and oxen, etc. were spared.

Saul's reason for sparing these things seemed reasonable: he wanted to use them as a sacrifice to God! But Samuel pointed out to the King that he had disobeyed God's direction, and as such, he likened Saul's rebellion to the sin of witchcraft!! Samuel said: "...Hath the LORD [as great] delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey [is] better than sacrifice, [and] to hearken than the fat of rams."

OBEY...

What priority do YOU place on obedience? Do you, like the Lord, place obedience at the very top of your list of important things to do? Or do you tend to close your eyes, and adopt a common thought process: "It's not sin if I don't get caught."? Perhaps it's time for us to reconsider our heart's position on the issue of obedience, and bring our will into subjection, under the Lord's!

Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank you for establishing the priority of obedience within our hearts, and as a part of your nature. Please help us to be more obedient, in any and all circumstances. Help us to respect the authorities that you place above us, and we will glorify Your name by our obedience! In Jesus' name, Amen!