Day 18

19 If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat. 20 But if you turn away and refuse to listen, you will be devoured by the sword of your enemies. I, the Lord, have spoken!” Isaiah 1.19-20

Obedience is a tricky thing. It’s tricky because if we’re honest, we would rather live up to our own expectations, than someone else’s or more importantly, it’s a matter of perspective.

Here’s an example. I love ice cream. Give me a blanket and one of my favorite shows that I’ve already seen 100 times, and there’s a chance that I eat an entire pint of ice cream by myself without thinking. I can hear you now. You’re either thinking, “an entire pint?! That’s impressive.” I want to say thank you. It’s a gift of God. Some of you wonder, “how do you eat an entire pint of ice cream in one sitting?!” And again, I’d say it’s a gift. Either way, the pint of ice cream tells me a serving size is about a 1/3 of the container because a pint of ice cream is 3 servings. My perspective is, “I can do what I want,” and the ice cream company’s perspective is, “You can do what you want, but we warned you about the consequences for not paying attention to the label.”

We're genuinely missing out on the blessing when we view God’s instructions as a perspective or suggestion, not a command. God’s message to the nation of Judah at the beginning of Isaiah was straightforward: obey, and things will go well. Disobey, and it won’t go well. So, if that was God’s message back then, why would it be any different now?

Our enemy probably isn’t another nation coming at us with a sword to conquer us. Our enemies probably look more like gossip, pride, gluttony, envy, or unforgiveness. Those things can swiftly conquer us and cause more destruction than we realize.

Obedience comes with a blessing. Disobedience comes with regret. It’s your choice.

Reflection:

Do you think obedience is a matter of perspective? What’s an enemy you’re facing right now? What blessing are you looking for that may be held back by disobedience?