Any Mom has heard those words from her children countless times. The answer, "Yes, you have to." The response, "But why?" The answer, "Because I told you to." God tells us, as the loving Father that He is, that we must be obedient. We are told to separate ourselves from the ways of this world because we as Christians are not of this world.
“Come out from among them And be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, And I will receive you.” 2 Corinthians 6:17.
Apply the Word
It does no good to read the Bible and listen to sermons on Sunday if we don't apply that word to our lives. "Thy word is truth," says the Lord in John 17:17. And truth calls us to obedience. Is it hard? Of course. Just as hard as it is for our own children. The Bible is not just words on a page about God, but it is the living voice of God in print. The absolute source of truth. This in a world where increasingly people see truth as being completely subjective. The world says to live your truth and your truth doesn't have to be mine.
Don't Fit In
The world we live in, the people around us will think we are odd. We won't fit in. We won't get to have "fun", at least not the kind that the world sees as fun. We won't drink too much, we won't get as angry, we won't lust, we won't have sex outside of marriage, we won't commit adultery, we will honor God with our obedience. And if we do engage in any of this we will know we have done wrong and seek forgiveness. Just like our children do.
As Samuel says in I Samuel 15:22,
"Behold to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams."
Obedience is More Than Words
God longs for obedience, not just lip service. Our obedience to the truth, in love, is what is our greatest witness as Christians. Obedience leads to hope. Obedience is not just about what we don't do but, as importantly, it is what we do. We care for the poor, we love the broken hearted, we act justly, we forgive and forgive again, we make Christ visible to the world. Like a loving parent we don't call wrong right, but we teach what right is and we do it with tenderness and care. Christ loves us and still calls us to repentance. He calls us to turn away from wrong doing and turn towards His light. Thanks be to God who has called us out of darkness.
Do I Have To?
So to answer the question, do I have to? The answer is YES!
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