(Baby) Step One

The account of Saul's disobedience, and subsequent fall, in 1 Samuel 15, is incredibly powerful. Here is a man who was hand picked and groomed, by God, to rule Israel. A man chosen by God to lead God's chosen nation.

Great Gig.

God is close to Saul throughout this entire process. There is guidance from the prophet Samuel, law set down from Moses, and even revelation from God himself. How can he go wrong? Well, being human and all, Saul has a propensity to go wrong. Saul's story is of full of arrogance, pride, excuses, blame, denial and rationalization. But the thing that strikes me the clearest, is that he "feels" like he is doing good. He knows God said to do things a certain way, but it "seems" to him like his own way is better. He is not blatantly thumbing his nose at God...in his own mind, he presumes, that clear instruction, law and revelation from God, aren't relevant to his circumstance. He has got "good" intentions, and He is doing "good" things.

Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Voice of the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than than the fat of the rams.
1 Samuel 15:22

I wrote this verse down, for the first time, 3 years ago. I was lost. I had lived my entire life doing what "felt" right. I had blown like the winds of a hurricane, through my life, wreaking havoc and destruction on myself and anyone who got too close. I grasped and clutched at anything that "seemed" solid in effort to anchor myself, to no avail. This verse, struck a chord within me.

I learned about God as a child, read the bible, knew bible stories and John 3:16, attended various churches, prayed when desperate and, in general, knew right from wrong. But actual obedience to God, had never seemed relevant. This is the 21st century! We're not living in biblical times, those ancient rules do not "seem" to apply to my life today. Besides, I don't want to do anything just because God says so, I want it to "feel" right, I want my heart to be in it.

I guess I got desperate enough to try anything, no matter how outrageous...even obeying God when it didn't feel right.

If someone were to ask me today, looking back over the past three years, what has "grown" me the most. I could give a list of three. Number 1, is obedience. Every major point of my growth has been rooted in listening to the guidance of incredible followers of Christ and seeking out the truth in scripture and relationship with God.

Obedience is about trust, and it's backwards.

I don't obey because I trust, I obey and I learn to trust.

I don't get to go to heaven because I am obedient...By being obedient, I bring heaven to earth.