DAILY DEVOTIONAL FROM PASTOR WESLEY October 25, 2022 

Obedience: A Learning Process

Practicing obedience to earthly authorities helps us learn to obey God’s commands. 

Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH. Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord. Slaves, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in the sincerity of your heart, as to Christ; not by way of eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as slaves of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart. With good will render service, as to the Lord, and not to men, knowing that whatever good thing each one does, this he will receive back from the Lord, whether slave or free. And masters, do the same things to them, and give up threatening, knowing that both their Master and yours is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him. Ephesians 6:1-9 

Throughout the Bible, God commands His people to obey Him. But submission doesn’t come naturally to us because we’re all born with a rebellious spirit. We must be taught to obey the Lord, and we begin to understand how to yield through interactions with people in authority over us. 

The most common place for learning obedience is the home. Today’s passage tells children to honor and obey their mother and father (Ephesians 6:1-2). God planned that our earliest experiences of authority would involve submitting to parents who love and care for us. Through their admonitions and discipline, we learn what it takes to master our rebellious spirit. 

At every stage of life, God places us under leaders, whether parents, teachers, coaches, employers, or governing officials (Romans 13:1-2). Of course, like all of humanity, these people were born into sin, so they’ll make mistakes and sometimes treat us unfairly—but they’re still His instruments. Whether or not we approve of how we’re ruled, people in these roles teach us the value of obedience and the consequences of disobedience. 

We often balk at the idea of answering to someone else. But it helps to realize that the ultimate goal is to obey the Lord—and that God’s commands are for our good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

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