obedience

   As I have been wrestling with Romans 6 the last couple of weeks and as I have posted earlier about the issues of kingship and authority.  Obedience or disobedience is how one responds or doesn't respond to the authority figure  Whether it is God's authority, or human authority, it is still authority.  (The idea of whether to and when to obey and when to disobey human authority is a different posting)  Whether it is being obedient to ourselves or to God.  As I have wrestled with this issue of obedience, it is more than just doing something or not doing something for someone.  When one obeys, there is some level of respect for either the person or the authority that the person has giving the directions.  I often do or don't do things because its the right thing to do and there are times that I do the right things for the right reason, or the right thing for the wrong reason and vice versa.  There are times where I throw a tantrum while doing it or and that usually leads to nothing getting done.  When we are being obedient, especially to God and His authority or even earthly authority the intentions of the heart do matter.  I often thing of when I was made to apologize to my siblings for doing something wrong.  I may have apologized, but on the inside I was still kicking and screaming and calling them poopy heads.  So my question to us all is how do we match up this idea of obedience as action, and obedience of the heart.  It is a daily struggle for doing or not doing things for the right reason.  In the end, true obedience is knowing where one stands with others and living out of that which I hope is a position not of ruling but of serving. 

  One of the verses that has kept coming up for me is Malachi 6:8 of loving justice, mercy and walking humbly with God.  With this in mind, when one is walking humbly with God, it is a realization what are place is and living in it.  Its not taking a number and just being a member of the masses.  It is this idea that we are living as a child of God and we are coming under Gods authority.  God does not rule with an iron fist and a septor and kills off anyone who does wrong.  God is a God of mercy and not only does He come along side us and helps us put things back in order but He also bestows His holiness upon us.  To use a Dr Mulholland quote (professor at Asbury Seminary and thanks David Pritchard for sharing me of this quote):

               Unholiness is its own torment ... God enters into the torment to offer redemption and restoration                   To holiness.

   If we are truly walking in obedience, its more than doing the right thing because that gets us no where with God.  It is holy living, is allowing God to Impute His holiness and righteousness on us.  Imputing is God doing for us, what we can not do for ourselves.  Imputing is the act of being made righteous and holy before God through what Christ on the cross.  The other part of holy obedience is this idea of impartation, or what God does through us.  It is being obedient to the work of the Holy Spirit and following that leading.  It is taking part in what God is doing and doing it.  It is being conformed to God's character and holiness.  In closing, I think it is a movement from just bringing the sacrifices and gifts to the alter to moving into a right relationship with God and each other.  What I mean by this is that we are called to bring our gifts and sacrifices to the altar, but if we are not living in right relationship with God or our fellow man or woman, we are instructed to leave the gift and go make that relationship right.  I think the key component to loving justice and mercy is how are we at keeping up our relationship with God, but with others.  One definition of justice is being in right relationship with someone, whether it is with God or people.  Being in right relationship with God and others takes a lot of work, grace, mercy and God.  So maybe being obedient has to deal with being in right relationship and living out that right relationship.  Just some food for thought