Matthew 21:28-30
“But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go work today in the vineyard.’ But he replied, ‘I do not want to.’ Yet afterward he regretted it and went. And the man came to his second son and said the same thing; and he replied, ‘I will, sir’; and yet he did not go.'”
I think we can all relate to both sons. I certainly have. As the first son, I didn’t respond to God’s prompt. Yet, I felt guilty and later obeyed. As the second son I responded positively, but kept putting it off and never obeyed.
I would say that life and obedience to the Lord and be messy. Our path isn’t always admirable. What’s important is that we are obedient. I wouldn’t say my record is 100%.
Jesus is to be our lord. We aren’t christians unless He is. We get better as we mature. My earlier disobedience was was due to a lack of understanding. I used to think things were His will that I later learned weren’t necessarily so. My view of God was exacting and punishing. I wouldn’t say that, but felt it.
The religion I grew up with emphasized sacrifice. Give, give, give. I couldn’t give enough. It was about five years into my faith that I began to hear about grace. 2 Corinthians 9:7 was the verse that began the grace revolution, “Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.” Much of my obedience was out of regret and compulsion. This thought began to seep into my thinking. As obedience prompts would present themselves I would ask if this was God or my over active conscience. I would pray about this. Things began to relax. It wasn’t over night, but months and years.
I bring this up because some of my disobedience was to a tyrannical conscience. Now that I understand grace better I can more accurately differentiate between God and other influences. I can better weed out that which isn’t God. Obedience becomes easier.
Another thing that helps with obedience is knowing God. I John 2:14 says, “I have written to you, fathers, because you know Him who is from the beginning”. As we grow in Christ we get to know God. He is so loving and patient. Those earlier feelings of obligation and being pressured weren’t of God.
Jesus gives more insight about this is from John 10:27, “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me.” As we grow in maturity in our faith we get to know His voice. It obviously isn’t audible, but it’s a sense. We know better what’s of Him and what’s not. Such a blessing.
Thank You, Lord, that You make obedience easy. It’s still challenging on occasion, but You’re there to help.