Obedience to God?

Why should I be obedient to a God we can't even prove to be 100% real? What if I waste my time? What does it even mean to be obedient to God?

These are questions I have asked myself and you have probably thought of them too.

Honestly, believing in a god is a scary thing. We have heard the stories of Him favoring one person over another based on their obedience. There is an example of this in Genesis 4:5 when God favors Abel over Cain－ even though they are twin brothers. Better yet, we can talk about the story where Joseph is favored by his father over his 12 older brothers. There is a story of God even striking someone down from heaven for their disobedience－Lucifer.

Firstly, I want to point out that these are all Old Testament stories. I say this not to devalue their credibility, but to highlight that the new covenant created from the death of Jesus in the New Testament had not yet been made. Hence, the world was a significantly fearful place during the rebellion that we, as a human race, were involved in, requiring correction from God to achieve longevity for humans.

See, God had given us instruction, as children created in His image, on how to take care of the world we were given. He placed Adam and Eve on the precious grass of Eden and built bonds with them. Guiding them in love, tenderness, and authority, He instructed them on what would help Eden and what would help them to lead a happy and healthy lifestyle not just for themselves but for the good of those after them as well.

After all, if God gave us free will, aren't we capable of mistakes? Arent we capable of choosing something harmful?

I work with children and I have been for a few years now. Children, if given the chance, would choose candy and pizza for breakfast. They would choose to play in the mud all day and never go to work when they got older. They would giggle and watch YouTube videos all day every day. Hell, even I do all of those things sometimes.

They don't know that they're missing out on nutritional necessities when they eat candy-only diets. How could they know that harmful bacteria exist? They couldn't see the microscopic harm hidden within their beloved mud even if they squinted.

We can because we are adults. I can see and feel what it does to my body when I live off of pizza alone (I definitely tried it in college). I know what it feels like to have mud on my arms and not be able to wash it off. I know that its harmful when it gets into cuts because I have lived it.

God doesn't even have to get mud in His cuts to tell us it will hurt. He just knows it would hurt and that is enough for Him to warn us. He knows what paths lead to destruction and was generous to provide a book of all these loving instructions to tell us to watch out for certain groups that participate in harmful behaviors. Not because we should run from sinners but because they don't know they are sitting in mud. They don't know that the mud they think is safe can get us dirty too.

We acquire wounds throughout our lifetimes. Whether received in scuffles or self-inflicted, we all have wounds. It is so much safer to take these wounds to Jesus and ask for healing and guidance than to run to another child who tried to heal with drugs or alcohol. We do our best to lead others with what helped us. That is sin. Deciding that we know what is best for us rather than submitting to God is destructive (linked is my other blog post that I recommend you read in addition to this one). This is why ...

God favored Abel. He favored Him for being obedient. He uplifted him for believing that God's way is the best way. It was not about bringing our own idea of offering to God, it was about bringing the RIGHT offering.

If you're confused, read the story :) ⤦

Genesis 4:1-16

Do you think Cain brought his fruit to God and said "Well this is what I do with my time, so hopefully God appreciates it. This is the easiest thing for me to offer to you, God." Cain had favor from God because, without knowing the sacrifice God would later make with His own son, he had faith and was obedient in providing the correct kind of sacrifice.

The lamb is representative of Jesus. Pure and innocent, the lamb did not deserve to die. God returns the favor with His own son. What a beautiful story of love and affection. He wanted to be in communion and love with us so much that He stepped down from His throne in heaven to live among us in human form. Not just to watch us suffer in lives of sin but to walk with us and face the same temptations that cripple us at times. He knows what it's like but He also understood that for us it would still be too much.

So He died at our hands, providing us with the opportunity to express our faith at any level we can, (Matthew 17:20) in order to be united with Him in heaven. Living in His love and peace forever.

All-in-all, obedience brings us closer to God's love. It is direction for the most prosperous and valuable lifestyle. A lifestyle for our benefit and for the benefit of humankind.

Although, the best way to find if a hypothesis is correct is to test it. Try obedience today in something small. Maybe quit vaping, drinking, or cursing. Start small and see where it takes you. Allow the experience to build your faith and see what walking in accordance with the will of God is like. Maybe there is something valuable in it. Sure, God might not be real, but He also might be. How awful would it be to be on the wrong side of that coin toss?

Much love, and may the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make his face shine upon you and give you peace.

-syd ❤︎