The Table of Obedience

Thoughts on Day5, Week 4 of What Love Is, by Kelly Minter

• Scripture: 1 John 5:1-5  (Verse 3) "This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome . . . "

Kelly writes (top of page 120):  “I could cry over this passage, because obedience to Christ has been my greatest demonstration of my love for Him. Period. For me, obedience has at times meant intense loneliness. It’s meant walking in the exact opposite direction of my hopes. It’s meant doing what I didn’t want to do and not doing what I wanted to. Obedience has required surrender. It’s meant following Him above all my individual desires and dreams, so I can live the life for which He’s created me. Today, I couldn’t be more thankful to have chosen His way over my own, because it was at the table of obedience where I got to know Him. Obedience is where relationship with Christ is forged.”

My response:  Wow. Honestly, I want to really know God like she’s talking about, but  I want to skip the obedience part and move right to knowing God. I don’t want to sit down and stay at the table of obedience. I want to glance at it as I walk by.

I can almost hear God saying to me, “Child, that’s not how it works. You don’t get to know me by glancing at my commands and walking on by. You get to know me by sitting down at the table of obedience. You’ll find Me there – waiting for you to stop and sit. Waiting for you to quit your frantic activity, your striving, your unfocused thoughts, your selfish ways, your fantasies of the mind. I’m waiting for you to forget yourself and remember me. Come sit awhile, child. It might feel uncomfortable at first. But you’ll find it quite freeing after you’re here with Me. Obedience isn’t so bad after all. Most people think it’s burdensome. But the truth is, obedience is where you set down your burdens and follow Me."

Psalm 1 speaks of a progression of walking, standing, and sitting.

I need to have the same progression in a good way. I need to quit walking by. I need to stop and sit down at the table of obedience. It’s where I’ll get to know Jesus better. And that’s a great thing.