Obedience is defined as “the act or practice of obeying; dutiful, with respect, in agreement or submissive compliance.” Frequently when we hear the word “obedience” we think of children being obedient to their parents or pets being obedient to their owners. Sometimes people may feel that the word obedience has a negative meaning — that being obedient means you have to give up your independence or rights to freely do what you want to do. To some extent that may be true — it may also depend on the circumstances. But in its purest form, being obedient is the truest form of respect. When children are obedient to their parents, they are showing that they respect and honor their parents and trust that what is being asked of them needs to be done.

James 1:22 (NASB) says, Prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers…. Meaning, we shouldn’t just be a reader or a hearer of the Word, but be a doer of the Word. It is not enough that we read the Bible or hear someone teach a lesson from it. We have to actually take that Word and apply it to our lives, being obedient to do what it says to do. Obedience is the key part. We need to read or hear what God says in His Word to us, and we need to be in agreement with it. We need to conform to it. We need to be submissive to it. We need to be respectful of it. All of it, not just some of it. Not just the things that are easy or the things that we like. But all of it, including things we may not like so much or things that may be really hard for us to do. In Numbers 23:19 NLT it says, God is not a man, so He does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through? So, when He gives us direction in His Word, we should do our best to be obedient to follow it. Always. Not just when it is easy or when we have nothing else to do, but at all times, because God is not a man that He would lie — He is true to His Word.

Anyone can be obedient some of the time, but that is not what God is looking for. He is looking for people who will be obedient to the best of their ability all of the time. He is looking for people to make the choice to no longer live by the ways of the world, but rather to live by the ways of His Word. That is what Jesus meant in Matthew 6:24 (NLT) when He said, No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. Meaning we cannot pick and choose when we will serve God and be obedient to His Word; we are either 100 percent in or we are not.

God is very clear about this issue of obedience in His Word. He devotes Deuteronomy 28 to the subject of obedience. Verse 1 says, If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations on earth (NIV). The rest of the text speaks of the blessings that will follow if we live in obedience to Gods Word. They are awesome! The remainder of the text covers the “curses for disobedience,” which lets us know how serious God is about this issue.

Consider spending some time reading and meditating on Deuteronomy 28 in order to get this Word into your heart. It is an awesome Word from God that shows us that by simply being obedient — respectfully submissive to Him and His Word — He will pour great blessings out on us. But at the same time, just as there are repercussions for children who are disrespectful to their parents or adults who are disrespectful to each other or to the laws of their country, there are also repercussions when people disobey God’s Word. Galatians 6:7 (NIV) tells us, Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Meaning we should not allow ourselves to be deceived thinking that because God is loving and forgiving we do not need to be obedient to Him and His Word. Deuteronomy 28:15-68 (NIV) makes that very clear. 

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