“Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.'” – 1 Samuel 15:22
God instructed King Saul and his men, through the prophet Samuel, to destroy the entire nation of Amalekites, everyone and everything. Instead, Saul saved the king and kept the best of their possessions to “sacrifice” to the LORD and called it obedience. He did most of what God had asked but didn’t follow in complete obedience. Here, we learn that partial obedience is still disobedience in the eyes of God. There are times when the LORD impresses upon our hearts something that makes no sense to our human minds. However, the goal is not to understand and make sense of what God asks of us; the goal is to obey. But before we put all of our effort into obedience, we must remember that obedience is the natural fruit of Christ in us. As we pursue Jesus daily, His life will be pressed out through ours, and that looks like obedience.
Are you relying on Christ in you to obey Him in the things He has for you?
