Devotional # 18 Obedience is better

Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s better to ask forgiveness than ask permission,”? This is something the world says to excuse wrong behavior. We’d rather get what we want and apologize later. We don’t realize that often the answer is “No” to protect us.

• As a kid an adult tells us not to touch the stray dog, but those puppy eyes draw us in and we start petting the K9. Next thing we know the dog suddenly bites us. That is why someone told us not to pet it. They knew it might be dangerous. • When we’re under 16 we take our parents car out to go cruising with our friends. We know they would have said “No.” So we decide not to ask and to apologize later if we get caught. Next thing we know we are pulled over by the cops and are spending 6 months in prison. God says “Obedience is better than sacrifice.” Sacrifices were made among the Israelites if they had sinned against God. It’s better to do what God asks us to do, rather than disobey Him and repent later. Of course, God is about redemption and so He loves it when our hearts have seen our errors and genuinely repent with a humble heart before the Him. But what He loves even more is when our hearts genuinely want to please Him and obey Him rather than taking a long detour disobeying Him. Some people think I mean that God punishes you for committing a sin-even if you genuinely repent. I’m not. He warns us what to stay away from to protect us from the consequences of those actions. It’s like when we tell a child not to touch a hot stove, but they do. We’re trying to protect them from the burns and pains that will come from touching that hot stove. When they disobey and burn their little finger what do they do? They come crying to us for comfort and we comfort them. We may explain to them, “This is why I told you not to touch the stove” while we hug them and wipe away their tears. We too have a father in Heaven that comforts us even after we’ve disobeyed Him, when we come crying to Him because of the pain. We’ve realized what we did was foolish. Like a parent, He cleans our wound, puts some ointment and a Band-Aid on it. He wishes we hadn’t taken that path because of the hurt and complications it caused. But He will use it to teach us and He will comfort us as we’re being healed. His ways are not like our ways. We may not understand why He asks us to do or not do certain things. But I can assure you it’s not because He wants you to miss out on fun. It’s not because He wants you to suffer. Like a loving parent He wants what is best for us. He is all-knowing God and He knows what’s best for us. So maybe we don’t understand His ways but sometimes we just have to trust Him. We can go to Him and ask Him to give us the strength to walk in His way. Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Proverbs 3:5 “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.” Romans 12:1-2 “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.  Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”