331. Obedience: Needed or Wanted?

“Do you think God needs you to be obedient?” Stan asked me one morning.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I said rather awkwardly.  “What do you think, Stan?”

“I think,” Stan replied, “that God does not need my obedience.”

“Whether He wants it, is a whole different question,” he continued.

“I think it all boils down,” Stan added, “to the question of free will.”

“When God tells or shows me something that would require my obedience, He does not force me to do anything.  He leaves it up to me whether I will or will not obey.”

“However,” Stan continued, “if God did not want me to obey, He would not have bothered to let me know that the opportunity to obey was available.”

“And,” he added, “when I choose not to obey, it is my loss, not God’s.”

“God has an uncounted number of angels to do His bidding.”

“As well,” Stan continued, “there are lots of other people, maybe angels on this side of eternity, who are perfectly willing to obey when I am not.”

“I do not think that God needs my obedience,” Stan said, “but I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that He sure is pleased when He offers me an opportunity to be obedient and I choose Him over me.”

“And, my friend,” Stan concluded, “I could give you an uncounted number of times I have failed to obey God and missed a great opportunity to be involved with what He was doing.”

“I missed the opportunity.  God gave it to someone else who was willing to obey.  My many losses are painful lessons I do not want to repeat.”

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If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.  John 14:15.

Prayer:  Thank you, Lord, for giving me many opportunities to be obedient to what you have for me to be and to do.  Please forgive me for all of the times I have failed to be obedient.  You know and I know that each time of disobedience was my loss.  I feel those losses and do not want them repeated.  Please, Lord, move in me so I follow you wherever you want to lead.  Please help me in my obedience so I can draw ever closer to you.  Thank you I can and do bring these prayers before you in the name of Jesus.  Amen.