How many of us are willing to take the Lord’s yoke upon ourselves and obey him unconditionally. Much of what we refer to as obedience in Christian circles is very much conditional; that is we obey to a point, under our own terms and according to our own psychological and emotional limits. We obey His Word regarding submission to our leaders in government as long we agree with their political position or if their views seem to lend themselves to our economic well-being. We obey His Word regarding submission to Church leadership as long as they espouse our views, we feel comfortable, and they do not “rub” us emotionally. God has a special grace on these offices that is beyond our natural reasoning and understanding. Many times the decisions they make and actions they take are beyond our sphere of understanding or experience. This is not because they are superior in any way but simply because of the mantle that God has placed on them. Often times this is when the test of true submission, obedience, and humility comes into play. This is when we have an opportunity to obey, trust, and grow. True Christian obedience is based solely on the terms laid out in God’s Word and a deep reverence for the promptings of His Spirit that He has graciously placed on the inside of us, not on worldly views.

True Freedom

Even though we are free, the Lord always has terms. Always. Like any other contract, this spiritual one with Him has terms and conditions to follow if we are to walk with Him. The only difference is the contract with Him is not written on paper, or legalistic, but is a living, breathing contract written on the fleshy tables of our hearts. If we listen to the terms and willingly obey, He will continue to breathe a deeper life of love and peace in each of us. True freedom brings to us a sense and eager yearning to love and obey unconditionally, no matter what the terms may be.

One of the tragedies of our times as it has been throughout history is man’s tendency for independent thinking. I realize that the Lord gave us a brain and that we should not take the views of natural thinking men at face value but independent thinking in the kingdom of God will do nothing but get us into spiritual hot water. The scriptures state, “to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6). Also, “We have the mind of Christ” (I Corinthians 2:16). His ways are higher than our ways. We must understand to really follow and walk with the Lord that He has terms which most likely will immediately conflict and come head to head with ours. We desire to do something now, God’s Spirit within us checks us and will not allow us to do it until tomorrow. We want to hold on to a certain view (that we are certain of) and the Lord comes to change it in an instant. In this process, our thinking must change. Will we acquiesce, give in and become soft or will we kick against the goads? Without realizing it, we make war with the Lord, but He graciously gives us opportunities to “make peace.” What is interesting is this seeming conflict is very positive, healthy and really a sign of growth in that it is one of the ways that He shapes us into His image, as long we learn to obey. The conflict is really not the problem. The problem is rather the tendency of our old man, when faced with daily opportunities to obey and submit, to become rigid, hold his ground, and kick off any yoke of submission to God’s ways and authority. Ultimately, this is why unbelievers go to hell. Not because God is angry, but because whatever or whoever is not submitted to Him is outside of the natural order of creation. It is outlawed and must be marginalized or it will bring chaos and disorder to the rest of His universe. Eventually, all of creation must come back into harmony with Him. Every knee shall bow. For believers, that time is now. Simply put, obedience is bowing the knee. It is absolute love. A deep and burning desire to do all of His will and to obey Him as well as any authority that He has ordained. Learning to obey is one form of Christian “suffering” that the Holy Spirit will make sure is incorporated in each of our lives. As the scriptures say of the Lord, “though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which he suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him” (Hebrews 5:8-9). What was true and necessary for Him, our Head, must be the same for us, His body.

The Spirit of the World

The world, those outside of Christianity, will never obey. This we should never expect. The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed saying, “let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us” (Psalms 2:2-3). The spirit of the world is always looking to break off the cords of the Lord’s authority. In Ephesians chapter 2, unbelievers are called “the sons of disobedience.” For this reason, we should be constantly praying for our unbelieving loved ones. Also, the world’s yoke is very hard. Once under it’s influence, we tend to treat (or mistreat) each other with that same hard spirit. It is a mistake to try and govern, lead, or even foster relationships with an iron hand or with forced submission, no matter how subtle. The Lord Himself will never do such a thing. As a matter of fact one of the true test of leadership in the kingdom of God is how well we learn the lessons of obedience. Every relationship must be “full of the cross,” whether it is with Him or each other. We should submit to one another in godly fear. There must be submission and obedience in order for God’s life to flow, whatever the area.

The Lord’s Plan for His Church

Our ways are typically the ways of men and not of God until God can get a hold of us and mold us (sweetly) into His true bride. Before He does that, our path is mainly that of least resistance and self-sufficiency. Unfortunately the path of least resistance, which we are so prone to take, often times offers up the greatest resistance to our walking in harmony with the Lord and the learning of His ways. However, in His love and mercy, He delivers us from the deception of “easy street” and puts us on the path of His eternal provision. Those who are eager to do His will will prosper.

The great object of salvation is for God to have a place where the living waters of His nature can flow freely (Revelation 22:1-2). He desires for His nature to flow freely though ours. This can only come about through the constant test of our obedience and submission to Him which, when responded to properly, opens up our nature to receive more of His life.

We must go further than we have gone in our present experience and understand more than we are accustomed to. This can only be realized by constantly yielding to His terms and purposes and allowing Him to fulfill His will in us. Remember that He said, “My yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”