Introduction:
Obeying is hard. There, I said it. Don’t judge me; I know you feel it too. My heart and my mind so desperately want to obey in every way, shape and form, but I find when it actually comes to living it, I sometimes find myself looking for loopholes, gray areas, or excuses. It reminds me of what Paul says in Romans 7:19 “For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do- this I keep doing.”. It’s so true. If I could insert an emoji here, it would be the crying face. Why is it like that?
Obedience is something that has been a struggle since the beginning of mankind. It’s an issue passed down generation after generation. It started with Eve in the garden. She was asked to obey one thing- don’t eat from the tree. And what did she do? She ate from the tree! And so, it began. And here we are today, still struggling. Ugh!
God has a lot to say about obedience in His word. There are approximately 150-200 verses in the Bible about the subject. What is also worth noting is that there are approximately 130-180 verses about hope, and approximately 400-600 about blessing. And listen to this, this is so cool- there are 80-120 verses that connect obedience with blessing, 30-60 verses that connect obedience and hope, and 15-30 verses that tie obedience, blessing and hope together. I know that there were a lot of numbers, but the point is 15-30 verses that connect obedience, blessing and hope. Hence the focus of this study- Hopeful and Blessed Obedience.
So, what if our view of obedience has been skewed? I think we tend to think of obedience incorrectly. When we hear the word, we often think- Ugh, it’s so hard. It’s taking away my fun. It doesn’t feel good.
BUT…. What if we’ve had it all wrong? What if obedience actually produces hope and blessing? What if we’ve avoided obedience because we’ve believed the same lie as Eve? That it’s Gods intention to keep us from good things. It’s a subtle little lie that keeps us in bondage in big and small ways.
I’ve been challenged with this concept this last year and have been putting some intention and focus with God on this, and know what? I think obeying is actually a gift. Here’s what I’ve found- OBEDIENCE aligns us with God. That alignment brings BLESSING (peace, joy, direction, clarity). BLESSING (peace, joy, direction, clarity) produces HOPE (confidence in God’s future promises). Read that again and let it sink in for a minute. Are you getting a glimpse of it? Are you seeing what I’m seeing? It gets me so fired up!
I want to invite you to join me over the next 4 weeks as we look deeper and unpack what God has to show us. Each week will have a focus as we lean in and seek to understand, learn, and grow. I’m taking us back to the basics- Who, What, How, and Why. This 20-day Bible study is designed to help us grow in understanding of what it truly means to obey God—not out of fear, duty, or routine, but from trust, love, and relationship. I love that! And I hope by the end of this study you will too!
Week 1: WHO we are obeying- Knowing God and who He is as our trusted source. We follow who we know and trust.
Week 2: WHAT are we obeying- Learning to follow God’s word above other voices- even those of the church and popular leaders. God’s word is absolute.
Week 3: WHY do we obey? Understanding the purpose and blessing of obedience.
Week 4: HOW do we obey- Living out obedience in our lives.
Blessings,
Bonnie
