Obey. That’s a tough word for me. Honestly, it makes me cringe a little when I hear it. I’m all grown up, why should I worry about obeying? Even when I hear parents telling their children to obey, it just hands heavy handed. So when I read 1 John 2:3-6 equating knowing Jesus with obeying his commands, and how the man who says “I know him” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him….yeah, that makes me uncomfortable. In fact, book 2 of the Legacy Builders series for Coaches has a tremendously powerful lesson called “God is looking for an obedient Coach”. Author Rod Olson writes, “please remember how you feel when one of your players is disobedient. God also takes disobedience very seriously.”

I know that I often walk in obedience. I also know that I sometimes do not. Guess that makes me a liar. That’s the bad news. But there’s also good news that I have been missing lately. In that same passage that shows me I am a liar, it also says “if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him.” There’s a payoff to obedience that absolutely blows away any fleeting satisfaction that results from disobedience. That’s a big deal. I want God’s love to be truly made complete in me.

The final piece is the always needed reminder that obeying God in a way that is consistent and joyful doesn’t happen when we try hard to obey. That kind of obedience is the natural result of a growing relationship with Jesus. Learning to obey God’s Word by trying hard on our own is kind of like trying to become a great hitter by focusing on not striking out. It really misses the point when we look at the end goal of obedience as staying away from ‘bad stuff’. It’s true that when we obey, we do avoid ‘bad stuff’. But that’s a byproduct of the obedience, not the aim of the obedience.

Just as disobedience by an athlete demands action on the part of a Coach, our disobedience prompts perfect action on the part of our God.