Hear-Obey

Dogs go to obedience school, but where do humans go to learn obedience?.  Dogs have shock collars, fetters, and whistles to learn to follow the rules but what about the man?  Oh, yeah, he’s the boss.

If Israel lacked ONLY one thing throughout history, it must surely be … obedience.  In the King James Version of Scripture, the word “obey” is used 1,595 times!  What ‘cha think -- obedience important to God?  Jeremiah wrote, “Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you.” Obedience factors into so much of life: traffic laws, employer’s guidelines, due dates, even gravity demands obedience!. The learning curve for us is usually in the form of hard-knocks – we learn the hard way, from disobedience. What if, just what if, we learned to hear and obey; no second-guessing or rationalizing what we hear from God, just do as we’re told? How simple perhaps if self- will, that spiritually irrational idea we are sovereign, not God.  J.H. Newman wrote, “Pray Him to give you what Scripture calls ‘an honest and good heart,’ or ‘a perfect heart;’ and, without waiting, begin at once to obey Him with the best heart you have.”  The best heart – one attentive and coherent to God’s Voice and His commands.  Hear and obey is what every dog-owner long for from his pet. It’s also what God desires of His own. How about a little hear-obey practice today!

And oft, when in my heart was heard, thy timely mandate, I deferred

The task in smoother walks to stray, but thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may.  – W. Wordworth