Obedience and spirituality

Dear COAH,

Spirituality is such a big word. It seems abstract. To achieve a state of biblical spirituality seems like an inaccessible goal. The word obedience, on the other hand, comes across more readily. That's not to say obedience is easy; it is just that the word's meaning is understood more quickly. Obedience is about hearing the Lord's voice and following it. The word 'obedience' comes from 'to hear.' A literal translation of 'to obey' is 'to listen from below,' while the word 'to disobey' is 'to listen from the side.' In other words, someone who obeys God is like a person who bows down to God and listens to Him, and someone who disobeys God is someone who listens from the side, with the attitude of being in opposition or against Him.

We don't obey God's will for many reasons, one of the biggest being pride. We want to put our ideas ahead of God's, even when His will is clear. A prime example of this in the Bible is King Saul. In 1 Samuel 15, God clearly told him to wipe out the Amalekite army and all their possessions, but Saul 1) captured King Agag for show and 2) brought back unblemished cattle and sheep as spoils of war. You can see Saul's motives. He was trying to boost his popularity by showing off Agag in front of his people and boosting the morale of his troops by bringing back the spoils of war. But he did all this against the voice of God. After all, Saul was listening to God from the sidelines, not under.

Saul met a disastrous end: defeated in battle, he committed suicide with his sword, and his arm bearer followed suit (1 Samuel 31:4-5). We must always humble ourselves before Almighty God and recognize that His thoughts are not ours. Obedience is a denial of self. No matter how right I think I am, I must first get down on my knees, humbly seek His will, and leave my pride behind.

On the night of Jesus' arrest, he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives, "Father, if it is your will, remove this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done" (Luke 22:42). This was a prayer of obedience as he faced crucifixion. The word spirituality may sound grandiose and beyond our reach. But obedience is a household word that no one can escape. If we say we are believers in Jesus Christ, we must have the fruit of obedience. Can we say we believe and yet not obey? 

Blessings,

Pastor Minho Song