The New Four-Letter Word

Obey.

Say what? You got it, obey.

"This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil."

John 3:19

I am not sure what is more offensive to culture's ears today than the idea of obedience to God. So offensive in fact that culture just went ahead and made itself a brand new replacement god. Culture's god is the god of feelings. The god of romantic love. The god of instant gratification and treat yo'self. The god of fluffy, happy, kittens all over my face giddiness. Most importantly, the god of "it's my life," "it's my body," and "it's my right." And just like all of the other man-made, lower-case "g", false idol god's of other religions, American culture's god is also an idol. He is a figment of culture's over-indulgent imagination. But why would they do this? Because the real, upper-case "G" God was too messy to deal with. He said the dreaded four-letter word, obey, and culture went scurrying away like roaches when exposed to light.

It's really just that simple and it's really just that complicated. I can list verse after verse after verse of scripture telling us, pleading with us, to obey the commands of God, but culture always finds a way to philosophize them away. I mean all of them.

While certainly not an exhaustive list of biblical precedents, in the 4th chapter of the book of Ephesians under the heading "Instructions for Christian Living," Paul delivers 35 verses worth of Godly standards that we, as believers, should care about. Maybe more than just care about. We should obey. There's that word again. Let me ask you a question. Do you believe that all scripture is God-breathed like we are told in 2 Timothy? You do? Then why is it so hard to reconcile obedience? No, I didn't say reconcile perfection. I simply said obedience and those of us who strive to obey God's standards for living as believers know full well that this can sometimes be a chaotic business. But, aspiring to obey (even on the dumpster fire days) means our likelihood of spinning off the rails is diminished. Not eliminated, but definitely lessened. Obedience to these instructions is what sets us apart! It's what makes people sit up and take notice of our "G" God and realize that their "g" god is a powerless phony after all.

Let's discuss some of Paul's instructions below and hash out whether "obey" has become a four-letter word in our lives or not. By the way, just like in all of my other posts, I can and will never point a finger at someone else without pointing 9 of them back at myself. I will always be the very first to admit my shortcomings and share how my sanctification process has revealed sin in my own life. I have failed miserably in every one of these areas, but in God's infinite mercy, redemption was just an admission away. 

"and they, having become callous, have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity with greediness. But you did not learn Christ in this way, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught in Him, just as truth is in Jesus, that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth."

Ephesians 4:19-24

Paul comes right out of the gate with the sensuality. It's no surprise really. Every culture since the beginning of time has wanted it's sex and wanted it in whatever manner they saw fit. This topic makes many people uncomfortable, but I'm here to tell you, believers, that if we aren't willing to take a verbal stand for biblical sexuality, culture will bowl us over and never look back. Honestly, it kinda already has. The fact that God made man and woman in His image to be married and create the family is all but laughable now. It's antiquated, dull and unenlightened. The more casual the sex and the more varied in partners, the better. Don't want to get married? No biggie. God doesn't care about immorality as long as it's heterosexual, right? Hmmmmm. This is a topic that spurs a lot of passion (no pun intended). There are lots of opinions. I just urge you, as hard as it may be, pick up your bible and allow God to talk to you about this topic. See what He has to say, not what culture has to say. And read Romans 1:18-32 just for good measure and learn about the realities of being "given over" to sin. You do not want to be counted in that number. To obey or not to obey...

“Be angry, and yet do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity."

Ephesians 4:26-27

Guilty as charged. Opportunities freely given daily. Again, it's not about perfection, it's about the striving. Sadly, I think many unbelievers might have a monopoly here completely unbeknownst to them. Christians can be mean. We can be judgy and downright nasty. Not always, not even the majority of the time, but definitely on occasion. I think this comes from the fact that we forget that lost people should act lost. I also think that Christians are often times supremely uncomfortable with the thought of rubbing elbows with the "rough around the edges" crowd. We have forgotten that we too are rough around the edges because all of our edges seem safe to us. I guess I'll burst the bubble here and let you in on a not-so-secret secret. There's a world of people who don't view you, believer, as safe. Their stories, their lives, their pasts don't feel safe with you because you seem to be angry at everything outside church. Engaging people with the gospel requires grit. It may require you to hear stories of struggles you only thought existed on T.V. told by people you thought had it all together. Don't believe me? Volunteer in student ministries. Shoot, volunteer anywhere outside of your safe zone! Let go of your presumptions and lovingly engage in your circle of influence. Build relationships with people who aren't just like you and then... then... you will gain the opportunity to share truth. Oh and also, DO NOT FORWARD THAT INFLAMMATORY MEME! It is hateful and you look ridiculous. To obey or not to obey...

"Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear."

Ephesians 4:29

My close friends are literally laughing right now because they know my proclivity to let a word slip under pressure. Seriously, the bible says that out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks. Sometimes I think my heart must be black. Striving, not perfection. In all honesty though, my sanctification process has brought me far in this area. Not walking with the Lord will give you all sorts of license with your tongue. Again, lost people act lost. They think lost. They talk lost. Unwholesome isn't a word in their vocabulary yet. This isn't a blanket statement by the way. Are there unbelieving people who are lovely, kind, wonderful people? Literally everywhere. But again, these instructions are for believers and, like me, there are many who could use some help here. Proverbs is chock full of advice about the tongue. In chapter 18 it says the tongue holds the power of life and death! Do you know what else our words have the power to do? Overcome Satan. In Revelation 12:11 we are told that there are two things that will overcome the accuser. First, the blood of Jesus Christ. Second, the words of our testimony. Telling people our story of salvation is one of the two ways listed in scripture to defeat Satan! Words definitely matter. So you can go ahead and gossip about your friend, tell that racist joke, forward that explicit message, insult your boss, slander your husband, pastor, co-worker, me OR you can choose to let no unwholesome talk proceed from your mouth and instead seek out someone to share your story with. Also, refer to forwarding of memes above. To obey or not to obey... 

"Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

Ephesians 5:1-2

Can we talk about Agape love for a sec? There are four types of love referenced in scripture and Agape, being one of them, is defined as unconditional "God" love. This is the type of love that it took for God to look upon His creation who had completely turned their backs on Him in favor of their own lusts, satisfactions and pride and decide to send His Son to die a horrendous bloody death to save us from an eternity in hell anyway. I'm just saying, most of us wouldn't even cross the street to help someone who had repeatedly stabbed us in the back let alone send someone to die for them! Being an imitator of God in terms of showing real, actual, not-faking-it-with-crossed-fingers-behind-our-backs, unconditional love seems next to impossible. However, it's listed here with all the other standards of Godly living. Do you know what this really requires? Getting the heck over ourselves and praying diligently to be able to see others the way God sees them. Loving their quirks and differences. Nope, I didn't say accepting and affirming their sin as justified, I just simply said loving them like God does in spite of it. Isn't that what God does for us every single day? This one's tough. To obey or not to obey...

"walk as children of Light (for the fruit of the Light consists in all goodness and righteousness and truth), trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord."

Ephesians 5:8-10

Believers, we MUST put aside our personal feelings and learn what is pleasing to the Lord. This is going to sound harsh, but not every lifestyle choice is pleasing to God. So you read a beautifully written book by a women who left her husband to run into the arms of another woman and you feel warm and fuzzy for their marital bliss. They deserve each other! They deserve their new found happiness! And don't I just sound like the old, misery, killjoy when I say... find out for yourself if this choice is pleasing to the Lord! Sin is still sin and running full speed ahead into a life of it, even when it makes you feel temporarily happy, isn't pleasing to the Lord. I have said this in past blog posts, but I'll say it again. Jesus didn't die an excruciating death on a cross so that we could run amok doing whatever makes us feel exhilarated in the moment. Read. Your. Bible. Holiness still counts for something! Mature believers understand self-sacrifice. They understand the meaning of taking up our crosses daily. They understand the torment of temptation, but know the answer to authentic joy is only found in a life of obedience to Christ. Mature believers, walking as children of Light, seek to understand the truth of scripture that is pleasing to the Lord and stand firm in it despite being unpopular. So be it. To obey or not to obey...

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit,"

Ephesians 5:19

Interesting that Paul waits until near the end of this section to drop this one. I have to say, this instruction is pretty straight forward, but when I typed "Wine Time" into Google, do you want to take a guess at how many hits I got? "About 1,750,000,000 results (0.72 seconds)." That is the actual verbiage copied and pasted from the top of my computer screen. Y'all, again, I am NOT a prig, but my sanctification process has brought much clarity to this issue as well. A girl's night among friends where drinks are served? I'd love to celebrate with a glass of wine. A night out for my anniversary? Let's toast with a class a champagne. But do I need two, three or more glasses? Absolutely not. One drink shared among friends or family as a toast to whatever we're celebrating (maybe it's just being out of the house??) will do me just fine. By the way, when attending a girl's night with friends where drinks are not served, celebrating with a glass of sweet tea is just as satisfying. The alcohol, or lack thereof, is never center stage. In fact, it isn't even on stage at all. But good grief, I know way too many people that would simply be heart broken if tea were the only option. I mean, it would be an immediate and total downer. Believers, if this describes you, I am asking you to take serious stock of this. In all things we are asked to be obedient and God has clearly asked us not to get drunk, but instead to be filled with more of Him. Not my words. Please re-read the verse above and see 1 Corinthians 10:23-24 & 31 for reference also. Gain some discernment here. To obey or not to obey...

If you have made it this far and are still reading I want to make something very clear. The one and only sin that will keep someone out of heaven one day is blatant, prideful unbelief. When I said above that we as believers need to stop relying on our own fuzzy feelings and do some research to find out how God feels about our sinful choices, do not hear me saying that one bad choice equals hell for all eternity. Whoa. If that were true, Leslie Strange would be the first to go. No! Genuine believers are secure in our salvation now and forever, but continually living outside of God's ordained boundaries put in place for our own safety will definitely result in missed blessings. What are those blessings? I have no idea. I am not God. But, I do know that He promises good to those who strive to obey.

"Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God:

Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

Blessed shall be the offspring of your body and the produce of your ground and the offspring of your beasts, the increase of your herd and the young of your flock.

Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

 Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out."

Deuteronomy 28:1-6

Blessings don't equal utopia. Far from it, but having the peace in your soul that comes from a life lived in pursuit of Godly standards is incomparable to anything else. Furthermore, in Jesus' own words He said in John 14:15, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments." What more is there to say? 

Obedience isn't a choice for whenever it feels good. God isn't asking us to check the box yes or no. Obedience is daily and it will mean sacrifice. Jesus knows ALL about that. Obedience means we can't pursue every whim and fancy. Well, we can because free will and all, but we leave our potential blessings on the table. The choice is always ours. 

Obey shouldn't be a four-letter word in your life, believer. If it has become one, God is patiently waiting to hear from you to restore you once again. Take it from me! I'll leave you with this last reminder that God is the perfect architect and His blueprints for our lives, when obeyed, are the only ticket to lasting delight.

"The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;

surely I have a delightful inheritance."

Psalm 16:6