Disobedience

         The Christian Church has long sung the song, “Trust and Obey.” Many people of my generation almost know the hymn from memory. “Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” What is so hard about being obedient? When my parents would give me a command to not do something, there seemed to be that tendency to do it anyway. I was sternly told not to ride my bicycle to Rolling Prairie. It was the town that was located about 2 ½ miles from our home. On a bicycle, the distance could easily be covered. A group of us kids would ride out to other places, play on the railroad tracks, go into the woods on various farms, climb trees and the such, but we didn't venture into the forbidden zone. One day, I headed my bike in the direction of town and got there, riding up and down the streets and it never even bothered me that I was being disobedient. That was the case until my Mother showed up. John 3:36 says, “ He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

       This verse is translated differently in some case the phrase, “believeth not” has the meaning of not obeying. In the KJV, it is translated 7 of the 16 times as being disobedient rather than “not believing.” It gives us another shade in the meaning of not believing. What does it mean to you when you find someone who is not a believer? What characterizes their life? They are disobedient to the commands of Scripture. It must be part of the human nature to “test the waters” to see if something will really result as was said in the Bible or not. The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ looks around their world and sees the evidence of Second Timothy 3:1-5 which begins with the phrase, “In the last days...” The unbeliever looks at the same world and comes up with liberal excuses as to why we are in the predicament that we are in when in reality God has given us ample warning not to do something, and we go off and do it anyway. We do it because of sin and we have a natural tendency towards sin. The little hymn had the right idea in that we need to “trust and obey.” The unbeliever is certainly going to be characterized with disobedience. In John 3, the main thought is eternal life and how to get it. Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again. The third chapter of John, which speaks so much about the blessed eternal life ends with this final statement that the unbeliever, will not have life but the wrath of God will abide on him. What a statement and what a terrible end to be tacked onto your life. We all need to take a look at our lives and see if we are being disobedient especially in this area of eternal life. If you think that all roads, or all religions, lead to God, you are on the road to the wrath of God and not to heaven. The Lord Jesus Christ made that abundantly clear in John 14:6. “...no man comes to the Father but through Me (The Lord Jesus Christ).” “When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word, What a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, And with all who will trust and obey.” Praise God today for His guidance each and every day.