Obedience
“Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9).
Obedience is not a popular concept today. The preferred method of getting cooperation today is reasoning with people. Sometimes, however, reasoning simply doesn’t get the job done. It assumes that the person with whom you are speaking understands your reasons and agrees with you about the conclusion. This doesn’t always happen, and there are times when it is better for one to simply obey. The Bible speaks about reasoning with people (Isaiah 1:18), but it also speaks about obedience. Children are supposed to obey their parents in the Lord (Ephesians 6:1). Servants are to obey their masters (Colossians 3:22). We are to obey those who have the rule over us (Hebrews 13:17). We are to obey God (Acts 5:29). We are to obey the truth (Galatians 3:1, 5:7). We are to obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:8, 1 Peter 4:17).
Even Jesus learned to obey the Father. This does not mean that He was disobedient; it simply meant that obedience needed to be practiced and understood experientially. In turn, Jesus became our great example of obedience so that we may obey Him to receive salvation (Hebrews 5:8-9). When we obey as we ought, we can receive great peace and joy knowing that we have followed the Lord’s will in our lives. God’s commandments are not designed to bring grief, but peace, and when we obey the Lord’s commandments, we demonstrate our love for Him (1 John 5:1-2). Why do we so often not want to obey? It is due to our own pride. Remove the pride, and obedience becomes easy, loving, and joyful. God bless you, and I love you.