Why do we obey God?

September 23

This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands. In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome… - 1 John 5:2-3

Former NFL quarterback Roger Staubach, who led the Dallas Cowboys to win two Super Bowls, once admitted he was frustrated with the fact that he didn’t get to call his own plays, which many quarterbacks did in his day. Instead, Coach Tom Landry sent every play in himself.

Yet even though Staubach considered Coach Landry a genius when it came to football, his pride told him he should be the one calling the shots. Later on in his career, however, Staubach saw his error. He said, “I faced up to the issue of obedience. Once I learned to obey, there was harmony, fulfillment, and victory.”

It can be hard sometimes to let someone else call the shots, especially when we think we know how to handle the situation better than he or she does. But the reality is, even when we don’t realize it, others often see things more clearly than we do.

That’s a very good picture of why obedience to God’s commands is so crucial. Even when we feel like we can go our own way and have things turn out better, God sees what we don’t see. He knows how life works infinitely better than we do!

Life always works best when we follow God’s ways. Entrust yourself to Him in obedience and He’ll never let you down!

Prayer Challenge

Pray that God will help you trust in Him by obeying His commands!

Questions for Thought

Can you think of a time when you went your own way instead of God’s way? How might things have been different if you’d followed God’s way?

What’s one area of your life today where you can boldly pursue God’s commands and experience His best for you?

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