Obedience
“And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!” - Philippians 2:8
Ah, obedience. If we truly grasped your power, we would not regard you as a burden but as a privilege. A life oriented towards seeking you, rather than a constant plea of 'give me this, give me that', would unfold beautiful treasures. If we sought you, we would refrain from impulsively pursuing things that appear shiny and attractive, often resulting in pain. We would follow narrow roads and narrow paths that lead to life. We wouldn't shy away from the unknown, but rather, we would rest assured that Jesus is already present. Therefore, our trust in Him would remain unwavering.
We wouldn't indulge in what we know we shouldn't, but instead, we would renew our minds and persistently move towards the ultimate goal – the Author of our faith.
Ah, obedience. You can transform the path we walk and can show us that delighting ourselves in the One who asks for such a thing can be better than receiving the desires of our own hearts.
I have learned that it is impossible to obey or find delight in such a thing if I don't look at the sacrifice on the cross and remind myself how much it cost God. With my eyes fixed on that, gratitude takes over—the kind of gratitude that overflows into obedience. However, without it, I risk allowing my obedience to Him to come from a place of guilt, which was never in God's heart.
Jesus himself is our main example of obedience to His Father's will. When Jesus came to earth to dwell among us, He didn't only come to show the way to the Father or to be an example of a holy person, but to BECOME the way to the Father. His task was clear to Him. He wasn't here to have a good time or to become a political figure. Jesus came to die for our sins so that we could once again connect freely to the Father. And although He was tempted, Jesus didn’t lose sight of what the Father sent Him to do.
Our salvation, forgiveness, and connection to the Father are only possible because of Jesus' death on the cross. They are the reward for His obedience. Our daily and free access to God costs beyond what we could imagine to God. It wasn't cheap. And that should be enough for us to approach His presence with grateful obedience.
Through the forgiveness achieved by Jesus on the cross—and only because He died—I am transformed into a new person, which restores my relationship with the Father in Christ. When I understand not only the significance but also how much it cost God to forgive me, I can only surrender myself to Him in gratitude by seeking His will and holiness.
The sanctification of a life that comes from an obedient and grateful heart instead of a guilty one cannot produce legalism; rather, it produces a powerful life-changing relationship with the Father. Because it knows; with such strong love like that, I cannot remain the same.
Do you want to find joy in obedience? Don't lose sight of the Cross.
For you:
Spend some time either today or this week in prayer simply thanking God for His sacrifice on the cross for you.
And I also want to encourage you to meditate on Ephesians 2:1-10.
Revised by: Elena Walker.
