Radical Obedience

What is radical obedience?

Is it selling all of our possessions and moving to Africa to be a missionary?

Is it adopting orphans from a foreign land inviting them into a loving home?

Is it going to church every Sunday and Wednesday?

Is it quitting our secular job to go work in the ministry full time or volunteer our time?

It might be any of the above or all of the above or...

It might mean forgiving a brother or sister in Christ who has offended you.

It might mean helping a neighbor by watching her kids after school even if you are tired from a busy day.

It might mean making a meal for a family going through a difficult situation.

It might mean going out of your way to talk to that person that everyone else avoids.

See, we often think of radical obedience as being this huge request God asks of us that requires sacrifice and significant dying of our wants and self.   

Everyday acts of obedience also require sacrifice and crucifying our flesh.  It is those everyday mundane decisions of obedience that make up a life surrendered to God.

Last week I wrote about God asking me to give Him my hurts and forgive some people who had deeply wounded me.  I did give it to Him at the time.  However,  I found that my thoughts kept going back and replaying the hurt over in my mind.  I knew God was asking me to surrender this to Him once and for all.

I know the dangers of offense.  I have been down that road before.  If not for the grace of God and His loving correction and insight, I would have ended up in a heaping pile of toxic unforgiveness and resentment.  I know offense poisons the soul and darkens the heart.  And I know I cannot walk with God and be offended.

If I want to walk with God I don't have the right to be offended.  How can I hold onto this hurt when Jesus has forgiven me of so much?

I needed to ask myself two questions,  "What will it cost me to obey God?"  and "What will is cost me to not obey God?"

When I asked myself those two questions, it became obvious that no matter what it takes, I needed to obey God.  

Lysa Terkeurst puts it this way in What Happens When Women Say Yes to God:

"We need not fear what our disobedience will cause to happen in our life.  We should only fear what our disobedience will cause us to miss."  pg. 45

Yes, obeying God will cost something.  It will cost us our will, our way, and our fleshly wants.

However, disobedience will cause us to miss out on God's best in our lives.  It will cost us to miss His blessings.  It will also rob us of our Kingdom rights as heirs in Christ--His gifts of joy and peace.

Radical obedience is always worth the cost.  The cost of not obeying is always more than what it will cost to obey.

Let's obey with radical obedience not just in the big life altering decisions, but also in the daily decisions.   For it is those daily decisions that make up a life surrendered to Him.   

Lord, help us to live a life of radical obedience.  Help us to hear your voice and choose to obey even when it doesn't make sense, even when it is hard.  When it is beyond ourselves, I pray we would lean on You to carry us through.  I pray that we would die to ourselves daily and live a life surrendered to You and Your will.  Oh Father, all of this is beyond ourselves.  We desperately need you to live this life of radical obedience and I pray we would by Your power in us.  We love you.  In Jesus' Name, Amen.