Obey For Today

Life is full of things done in steps. At times, we can see the end from the beginning. At other times we do not—especially in matters of faith. Being obedient to what you know God is asking you to do requires faith as well as patience.

Today’s world makes it hard to be patient and walk your path one step at a time. But I remember being young and having to wait while a step-by-step process played out in daily ways that have changed over the last 50 years.  The microwave oven didn’t exist, everything was cooked in the oven only after waiting for it to heat up. Mom made our desserts from scratch, everything from pudding to chocolate cake to her wonderful pie crusts. Our home didn’t have a dish washer, unless you considered my younger sister and me! We were the ones to rinse, wash, dry, and put away every plate, glass, fork and knife after the evening meal. We saved our allowance all summer before going to buy a few new clothing pieces that we put on layaway, making small payments for several weeks until we finally paid our balance in full and carried our new items home. Waiting and doing one step at a time was more a part of everyday life than it is today.

Obedience to God must often be done in steps as well. The bible calls it “faithfully:”

But he who looks carefully into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and faithfully abides by it, not having become a [careless] listener who forgets but an active doer [who obeys], he will be blessed and favored by God in what he does [in his life of obedience]. James 1:25

Are you having trouble following the right path? Just obey God’s leading today, then do the same tomorrow—a step at a time, faithfully. It will be worth it in the end.