Character of Obedience

As a child, I was taught the meaning of obedience by my mom and dad.  I knew that if I "disobeyed", there would be consequences that I would not enjoy! 

At one of the churches where my dad was the pastor, we lived in the small parsonage beside the church.  My brother and I had instructions about running after church..."don't do it"!  We had to decide if the cost of disobedience was worth the consequences that would ensue because of it.  Well there were times when the temptation to run in and through the parked cars was just too inviting for us to just sit back and watch.  We just had to join the other kids knowing full well that when everyone was gone and we were in our home we would have a spanking to face.  That was the cost of not obeying our dad...a spanking. 

This wasn't just a spanking - this was a lesson taught.  Dad wanted us to trust that he knew what was best for us and we must obey his instructions, so that we wouldn't have to go through a bad time.  There was a possibility that we could have gotten hurt running through those cars after church. 

Now use this same information when thinking about trusting and obeying what God wants for us.  The words to the old hymn, "Trust and Obey" really puts it into perspective.  Listen to this song by a young guitar playing 16 year old girl, Sierra Hull and pay close attention to the words of the chorus.

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"Trust and obey...for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus...but to trust and obey."  That is the secret to being happy.  It is a matter of trust followed by obedience.  As a child I had to trust that my dad knew what was best and by obeying, I was protected.  As an adult, I need to trust that my Heavenly Dad knows what is best and by obeying, my life can be full and happy.