Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Exodus 20:3
Caroline ran to the door and flung it open, squealing, “Grandpa! You’re here!” She leaped into his outstretched arms, giving him a big hug.
“My, I think you grew some more since I saw you and tomorrow is your eighth birthday. Grandpa brought a special surprise for you.”
Caroline squealed again and danced around her Grandpa, “What is it? What is it?”
“Well, since it’s for your birthday, maybe we’ll have to keep it a secret until tomorrow.”
Grandpa went to his car and came back carrying a number of boxes, and his suitcase. He set them gently on the floor just inside the door while he removed his snow-covered boots and overcoat. Caroline rushed to his side again, grabbed the heavy suitcase, and tugged at it until she got it to the spare room where Grandpa would sleep. She then made a beeline for the nearest box setting on the floor. Grandpa gently but firmly said, “No, Caroline, I’ll take that one.”
Caroline loved to help and said “Please Grandpa, I’ll be real careful! And I’m real strong for my age! I know I could get that box to your room.”
Grandpa just shook his head ‘no’ at Caroline.
“Why, Grandpa?”
“I’ll carry it.”
“Why?” repeated Caroline.
“Caroline,” Grandpa said firmly, “I want you to obey me, even if you don’t know the answer to your question ‘why’.”
Caroline’s hands, reaching for the box, stopped in mid-air.
“OK, Grandpa, you must have a good reason even if I don’t know ‘why’.”
“That’s my girl.” Grandpa said as he gave Caroline a big hug.
Have you ever been a participant in a similar situation? We probably all have been the one to ask “Why?” or to have our children or grandchildren ask us “Why?” at one time or another. Many times this question stems from a desire to act contrary to the one in authority at the moment. If your mother asked you to do something, and you asked “Why?” it’s probably a good indication that you had other ideas.
Let’s take a closer look at what is the underlying problem with this little question “Why?” If Caroline would choose to act according to her own wishes unless and until Grandpa explained ‘why’, then she would be defying his authority and choosing to be her own authority. If he had to tell her ‘why’ before she would obey, and she only obeyed because she agreed with him, then she remained an authority unto herself. Her own wishes controlled her response. Many parents make this mistake. They try to reason with the child in order to get them to obey. While this might at times be successful, it remains apparent that the child who obeys only because he agrees is still only obeying himself. He is the authority in his life.
This type of thinking is normal for the human mind. To be willing to submit to another authority other than self is indeed contrary to our human nature. However, from a Biblical perspective, this is exactly what God asks us to do; and unless we learn to submit to parental authority in childhood, we will not readily acknowledge God’s authority in our lives, either.
Obeying God only when we have a satisfactory answer to the question ‘why’ is really not obeying God at all. It is obeying ourselves. We are the established authority in our lives. We decide whether or not we should obey. We sit on the throne. We are our own god. Never mind what God said in His word. Never mind that He told us what He wanted us to do. We will follow the dictates of our own minds. We are an authority unto ourselves.
Charles Stanley once said it something like this: “If you’re not willing to obey God no matter what it costs you, don’t call him Lord, because he’s not. You are.” Implicit obedience, whether we think it fits our situation or not, is what God requires. To do anything else is disobedience. We then have set ourselves above God and said, “In this situation, I think God is wrong and I will do whatever I think is best.” You then become your own authority and the god of your life.
The entire essence of the Christian walk is summed up in one question, “Who is the authority in your life, you or God?” Jesus said, “ If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.” (Luke 9:23) Jesus is asking us to deny our own self-will and instead, obey God’s divine will. This is the cross of Christ. This is what it means to be a follower of Christ, a Christian. If we obey only when we agree with God, we are not obeying at all. We are in rebellion.
Jesus said, “ If ye love me, keep my commandments.” (John 14:15) “And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.” (1 John 2:3-6) “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” (Revelation 22:14)
So, whom do you obey? Yourself, your spouse, a church, society? or God?