Blessing Follows Obedience

By Dean Collins

My son is a screenwriter. He studied to become a screenwriter when he was in college. About 10 years ago, I asked him the secret to learning to write a book, a play, a script, etc. His answer was pretty simple: You have to make yourself write every day. Of course there are tips, techniques, genres, grammar, and so on; however, his point was that you learn to write by writing. I took my son at face value and started writing a page every day. And after 10 or 11 years now, I have produced about 250 devotionals a year. 

When I was given advice from my son, I could have insisted that he give me more instructions or recommend classes I take. I could have started a group with people who also want to be writers where we could meet once or twice a week to learn more about writing. I could have decided to pray every day about God nudging me or making it clear to me that I should write. I could have found a mentor or two and met with them, learning everything I could about their writing. And at the end of the day, I may have never written a page.

Here is my point for the day. When I read what Moses said to the Israelites in chapter 4 of Deuteronomy and what Jesus said at the end of his Sermon on the Mount, the instructions are clear. If we want to follow Jesus and grow in our faith, then we must do what he asks us to do.

My observation as a church leader over many decades is that we are usually comfortable with attending church, reading scripture, attending Bible studies, and prayers, along with an occasional mission project. The challenge, as I see it, is that far too often we are generally fine with listening and learning but hesitate when it comes to our obedience in matters of disciple making, sacrificial giving, caring for the poor, and other things Jesus told us to do.

Maybe our growth step is similar to what I wrote concerning my son’s instructions about writing. If we want to grow in our obedience in any particular area, we must actually engage in that activity. It might feel awkward at first when we make our first attempt in a particular kind of ministry or discipleship, but I am confident that just as Moses said and Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount, when we do the things that Jesus taught and modeled, our spiritual house will grow stronger. Blessing always follows obedience.

Father, thank you for the truth of scripture. Thank you for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Thank you for clear instructions concerning how we are to do the things that Jesus did while he was on the earth. Today we ask for courage to step into the action of discipleship. Fill us with your Spirit today as we take our steps of obedience. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Your Time with God’s Word
Deuteronomy 4:1; Matthew 7:26-27 ESV

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