Verse: ISAIAH 50:4-10
Christians sometimes approach obedience as a way to avoid the negative consequences of disobedience. When this happens, obedience becomes a heavy burden. But God intended our walk of faith to be a thrilling adventure, motivated by our love for Jesus Christ and our desire to please Him. Obedience is about discovering more of God, not avoiding negative consequences.
The reason we equate doing God’s will with burden is that we tend to think of all the weighty decisions we might need to make. Yet the Lord doesn’t give us something He knows we can’t handle. Our obedience in the smaller matters of life prepares us for bigger ones. When we place trust in the omnipotence of the Lord and act on His prompting, life becomes exciting. We need not be fearful because God already knows the outcome of our obedience—and He promises that He does everything for our good (Rom. 8:28).
We know that if we take one step in obedience, we’ll be asked to take another. That’s why walking in faith is so thrilling—each step is leading to a fantastic blessing from almighty God. Though we sometimes think the situations are unrelated, the Lord continuously moves us through a variety of circumstances toward His overriding purpose for our lives.
If we become fearful of consequences and back off from obedience for the sake of safety, we deprive God of the opportunity to demonstrate His awesome power in us. Small choices may seem insignificant, but they lead toward a lifetime of walking with God. As you walk into this new year, ask yourself, What is my next step of obedience?
