“I made haste, and I did not delay to keep Your commandments” (Psalm 119:60).
This week, as we think about obedience and how to live it out, I want to look at five actions Joseph took that showed his obedience to God.
When the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, he told Joseph, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for He who is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:20b).
So that’s what Joseph did: “Then Joseph, being awakened from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and remained with his wife” (Matt. 1:24). He didn’t hesitate. He just did it.
There is a refreshing immediacy to Joseph’s relationship with God. When God said it, Joseph did it.
If you believe God loves you, and you want to live a life of obedience in response to His love, then this is how you should respond. Living in immediate obedience to God is a kind of life that breathes with excitement and joy.
I’ve had the opportunity to meet a lot of great men and women of faith from around the world. They are all different from each other, but they all have one thing in common: When they sense God saying to do something, they don’t hesitate. They step out and do it.
The Bible says in 1 John 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.” So if something God asks you to do feels like a burden, what’s wrong? Usually it’s procrastination. When we don’t act right away, it becomes harder to do the longer we wait. But when we do what God says, the most refreshing freedom will come into our lives.
Talk It Over
- What is the difference between immediate obedience and delayed obedience? What are the effects of each one?
- What is God calling you to do? Is it a phone call you need to make? An action you need to take?
- Whatever God is calling you to do, write it down right now, tell God you’re willing to do it and ask Him to give you the strength you need to make it happen. {eoa}
Tom Holladay is the teaching pastor at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, California. For the original article, visit pastorrick.com.
