Obey the Word with Joy

Roger Staubach, who led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl championships, admitted that his position as a quarterback who didn’t call his own signals was a source of trial for him.

Coach Landry sent in every play. He told Roger when to pass, when to run, and only in emergency situations could he change the play (and he had better be right!). Even though Roger considered Coach Landry to have a “genius mind” when it came to football strategy, pride told him that he should be able to run his own team.

Staubach, who’s a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, later said, “I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey, there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory.”

Staubach’s experience and admission remind us that in every walk of life, there are rules to follow, someone to submit to, and the need to humbly obey. This is certainly true in our Christian walk. God has not left us to “call our own plays” and live as we choose.

In a recent post, we shared an acrostic of the word “passion,” highlighting 7 qualities and characteristics of zeal. This is the 6th post in which we’re considering the traits in more detail. If you’ve missed the first five posts,  go back and read “Pursue God with your Whole Heart”, “Act in Love, Serving One Another,” “Stand Firm, Unshaken in the Faith,” “Spend and Be Spent for His Glory,” and “Illuminate the World with Good Works.”

“Obey” is not a warm, fuzzy word. It has a hard sound to it. We instinctively don’t like the command to obey. There is something within us that resists obedience. Our stubborn will. Our prideful attitude. Our fleshly nature. They come together and say, “I’ll do it my way.”

Yet 108 times the Bible instructs us to obey. God says….

◆Obey the voice of the Lord (Deut. 11:3).

◆Children obey your parents (Eph 6:1).

◆Citizens obey the ruling authorities (Titus 3:1).

◆Servants obey your masters (Col. 3:22).

◆We must obey Christ (Heb 5:9).

◆Christians obey the inspired apostolic letters (2 Thess 3:14).

◆Everyone is commanded to obey the gospel (1 Pet 4:17).

Obedience to God and His Word is not meant to be a burden, but a blessing. The apostle John wrote, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Thus, faithful obedience, then, is not dispirited submission but joyful surrender. As one writer expressed it, “To obey the Word with joy means aligning our lives with God’s will willingly, cheerfully, and with delight, recognizing that His ways bring life, freedom, and peace.”

When we joyfully obey the Word, we are demonstrating our love for the love. Jesus said, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments” (John 14:15). To paraphrase J. C. Ryle, “Love transforms obedience from duty into delight.”.

Furthermore, when we obey with joy, we will discover wonderful blessings. If you doubt that, read Psalm 119. David declared over and over again how God’s Word provides help, hope, guidance, stability, and spiritual prosperity. Thus, he could say “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches” (v. 14), and “I will delight myself in Your commandments,
Which I love (v. 47).

Ultimately, when we find genuine joy in obeying God’s Word, we serve as a powerful testimony to the world. Our age regards religion with restriction. Critics of Christianity think our faith diminishes fun. Instead, they need to see “the joy of faith” (Phil. 1:25), of a people whose light shines brightly to reveal God’s goodness (Ps. 52:1) and the “beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2).

Passion, joy, and obedience are inseparably linked to fuel our zeal. As Oswald Chambers wrote, “Joy is the result of the perfect fulfillment of what we were created for. And when we obey God, the joy of the Lord becomes our strength.”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman