Reason #515

No. I think that’s the first word most children learn to say. “No!” Probably because they’re told no from an early age. No, because they were born really sinful creatures. Beings that have to constantly be corrected time and time again. And so some begin to learn after being told “no” multiple times while others have a harder time learning. But have you ever witnessed a child telling their parents no? After all, when do they figure out that they can say it rather than just hear it? And so you see this little being completely misbehaving and when their parent tries to correct their behavior, they look them square in the face and fearlessly say, “no.”

 

I’ve witnessed this exchange between parents and children before. And as I heard that little voice firmly state that two letter word, I immediately held my breath to see how the parent was going to react. Although I don’t have children, I’m pretty sure a firm “no” would produce some sort of discipline. Who do these little people think they are anyway? Who are they to challenge their parents, to blatantly disobey and expect to get away with it? From an early age, I knew a “no” was not going to bring about an enjoyable outcome, and so I was never one to challenge authority. I quickly learned that life was so much easier if I just did what was asked of me.

 

We discussed the second chapter in our ‘Radical’ study on Sunday and the author's viewpoint hit me like a ton of bricks. "God beckons the storm clouds and they come. He tells the wind to blow and the rain to fall, and they obey immediately. He speaks to the mountains, "You go there," and He says to the seas, "You stop here," and they do it. Everything in all creation responds in obedience to the Creator...until we get to you and me. We have the audacity to look God in the face and say, "No." And so for some reason, we believe that we can obey when we want, disobey when we want, and God should still act in the way that we want. It doesn’t matter how we behave, He should bless us. He shouldn’t pour out wrath and discipline on us like disobedient children deserve. He should turn the other way, go easy on us, and just let us live our own lives, right? After all, we, just like every other child that has ever existed, know what’s best for us. And God should care about our happiness, shouldn’t He? If He really loved us, He wouldn’t ask us to do anything difficult or challenging or against our own desires.

 

The truth is, God does love you just like those parents of disobedient children love them. And when we witness a child defying their parents, we expect a spanking. We expect some sort of discipline and justice. We hold our breath, and if the parent doesn’t deliver a punishment that seems relevant to the crime, we are surprised. Shocked that they’d let said child get away with such behavior. And yet we get upset and mad when the tables are turned. When we are the child receiving punishment, it doesn’t seem fair. Funny that we would hold God to such different standards isn’t it? That we would expect a God of justice to hardly ever act just when it comes to our defiant ways.  

 

Well God is just and fair in all He does. And so He has given us thoughts and feelings and the freedom to express them. We can say what we want, how we want, and ultimately, we can do what we want. God never makes us act one way or another. When He said freedom, He meant freedom all around. And so if you want to disobey, if you want to look Him square in the face and say “no,” you can do that. If you want to defy Him and throw a fit to try and prove your point, you can do that, too. But don’t be surprised when our just Heavenly Father does what’s right and disciplines you. You probably deserve a spanking or two, if not worse, and He’s not going to stand around and allow you to get away with your rebellion if you are His child. Because He does love you, despite your head strong ways, and He’s going to correct you. He’s going to deal with you rightly so, and you should be thankful for that. You should learn from it, too. You should be glad that God wants better for you. Because He knows what’s right, He knows what you need to do. Yet, He will give you the choice of whether or not you’re going to be obedient.

 

And so maybe God is requiring more of you. Maybe He is asking you to do something really difficult. Maybe He is pointing you in a direction you’d really rather not go. Remember that, ultimately, you have two choices. I don’t know about you, but I’d much rather experience the blessings that come with obedience rather than the discipline that comes with “no.”  

 

#515 - For a just God and the blessings that come with obedience.

 

"Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you. Observe the commands of the Lord your God, walking in obedience to him and revering him." - Deuteronomy 8:5-6