Obedience Before Convenience

"Today's Devotion" For August 9, 2005

Read: I Peter 1:13-25; Psalm 143

OBEDIENCE BEFORE CONVENIENCE

"As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do..."
(I Peter 1:14-15)

Desperation reached through the phone and grabbed the listener, a pastor, on the other end. The caller was beside herself. Her anxiety and pain, conveyed by her voice, reached through phone and grabbed the pastor by the throat. His heart went out to her as he worked to calm her down and bring some coherence into her voice and the words that she was crying out. Slowly, ever so slowly, he was able to coax her to coherence so that she could calmly share her story with him. That's when the shock came.

It seems that the caller had a problem for which she needed the pastor's “help.” She was desperate. She was living with a man she wanted to marry, but he didn't want to commit to her. This was tearing her apart. She admitted that she knew that it wasn't God's Will that she live with the man before they were married, but she thought He'd understand that this was a unique situation. What she really wanted from the pastor was that he would pray that this man with whom she was living would finally "see the light" and either marry her or finally decide to get out of her life. Curiously, as the pastor noted to himself, the caller wasn't willing to stop living with the man as long as he was willing to stick around. Go figure!

Sadly, this scenario is more common than extraordinary. We human beings are really funny that way. We're willing to do things that we believe are wrong because we feel our situation is unique. We want things to go our way, to fit our agendas, and we'll go to any lengths to manipulate circumstances in our favor. While the woman on the phone wanted "God's will" to determine her relationship with the man she was living with, in reality she didn't really care about His will. The fact that she was living with the man outside of marriage, while admitting she knew it was against God's Will, indicates her selectivity in obeying His Will. She chose convenience before obedience.

Such selective obedience is part of our sinful nature as human beings. It's a part of our lives, whether we're willing to admit to it or not. While we might pay lip service to living lives that are pleasing to God and in accordance with His Will, the power of Sin in our lives is such that we're often kept from truly knowing His Will, much less doing it. Like the woman on the phone, too often we're only willing to focus on that portion of God's will that's convenient for us, a sort of "selective obedience" for our convenience.

Thank God that He doesn't love us or forgive us of all our sins only when it's convenient. God's love for us in Jesus Christ is not an act of convenience. In fact God's love for us caused Him quite a bit of inconvenience. Throughout the history of the world, God continued to exercise His infinite patience and move His plan of salvation forward throughout the ages. Even when they were stoning the prophets He kept on working His plan for the world's salvation. Finally, the inconvenience of our sins cost Jesus His life on the Cross, bearing the sins of the whole world on His head, innocent though He was. Our Lord Jesus Christ chose "obedience before convenience" and took the punishment that we deserve for our disobedience upon Himself, willingly and lovingly, according to the Father's Will. His every action was always obedient to that Will, no matter how inconvenient it might have been. Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection put "obedience before convenience" so that we might be forgiven of our sins and have the hope and promise of eternal life with Him. By the power of His Word and Spirit, we faithfully live lives of faith; lives that put "obedience before convenience" to the praise and glory of our Father in heaven.

Prayer: Father, it's really very easy for me to seek what's convenient for me rather than to be obedient to Your Will. I'd rather live life my way; not Your way. So often I'm willing to seek Your will when it's convenient for me to do so, and to ignore Your will when it gets in the way of my desires. Forgive me, gracious Father, for my disobedience and, by the power of Your Word and Spirit, lead me to seek to truly do Your will, no matter the "inconvenience." Let my life, reborn in Christ Jesus, be a living example of faithful living and service to You and others. Let my life always reflect Your love and forgiveness, as a faithful example of putting obedience before convenience, no matter how inconvenient it might be, so that Your name may be glorified, and many will come to know Your great love in Christ as I do. In Jesus' precious and most holy name I pray. Amen.
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--Pastor Boeck

Copyright @2005 Rev. Richard J. Boeck, Jr. All rights reserved.