Disobedience to God’s Word comes with a price. It could be a damaged relationship with Him for a sin, natural consequences of life, or even a rebuke or punishment from Him. As believers, we need to live according to His Word to the best of our ability out of love for Him and for our own sake.
Obey God because disobedience comes with a price.
The prophet Jonah could have saved himself a lot of trouble if he had simply done what God wanted him to do instead of following his own will:
Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord. 4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”
7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.
11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man’s life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.
17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights. (Jnh 1:1-17)
God didn’t just shrug off Jonah’s disobedience and let him go. He sent a big storm, arranged for a large fish to swallow him, and put him through a miserable ordeal until he finally agreed to go to Nineveh. Read Jonah chapter 2 to see the misery of Jonah’s time in the fish.
God may direct you to do something by laying something on your heart through the Holy Spirit but most of the time He is going to tell you what to do and how to live through His Word (the Bible).
As a believer in Christ, your job is to live by His Word, obey it:
Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? (Lk 6:46)
His Word is not there to take the fun out of your life but to direct you to be fruitful helping others (like Jonah) and to avoid problems in life. Disobedience to God may end in lost blessings, difficulties, and even punishment. But those aren’t the main reason to obey. The best reason to obey Him is out of love for Him.
If you love me, you will keep my commandments. (Jn 14:15)
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. (Jn 14:21)
Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (Jn 14:23)
For this is what love for God is: to keep His commands. (1 Jn 5:3)
Show your love for God and be quick to obey His direction and Word. Your obedience to Him is a good way to measure your love for Him. So, be quick to do what God says.
Think about it
Name some things in God’s Word you are good at obeying? Why are you obedient in those areas?
What things do you struggle to obey? Have you seen internal or external consequences to your disobedience?
Do you try to live by the Bible when you read it or do you just read it for pleasure (Are you a doer of God’s Word)?
BIBLE DEVOTIONS FOR LIVING 