MEANS: compliance with an order, request, or law or submission to
another's authority
FROM: Middle English: via Old French from Latin oboedientia, from the verb oboedire; from ob- ‘in the direction of’ + audire ‘hear.’
BIBLE VERSE: And this is
love: that we walk in obedience to
his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you
walk in love. (2 John 1:6)
THOUGHTS: Obedience can seem demanding. It might even seem to be
controlling. After all, we put ourselves in submission to another’s law or
direction. The derivation tells us that when we are obedient we are hearing
what is said. The Second Letter to John notes that Love is walking in obedience
to God. Do you think of Love when you think of ‘obedience’?
Perhaps we would do well to
rethink the idea that obedience demands us to do something we might not want to
do-like a puppy learning to walk on a leash during obedience training. Rather
obedience is a response to Love that calls us to hear and come into
relationship. After the puppy learns that the leash is not her enemy, she can
happily walk next to her owner without pulling. If we understand obedience to
God as a response to Love, we might be more willing to walk in relationship
with God…
The contemporary Christian artist, Matthew West has a song Grace Wins that says, in part:
But,
in the shadow of that shame
Beat down by all the blame
I hear you call my name sayin’ it's not over
And my heart starts to beat
So loud now, drowning out the doubt
I'm down but I'm not out
There's a war between guilt and grace
And they're fighting for a sacred space
But I'm living proof
Grace wins every time
And that is the way Obedience to God works-"For
always and forever, grace wins".
PRAYER: Living Master, let me be willing to offer obedience out of a response to your Love's Grace rather than compulsion.
MEANS: [person
or thing] existing or occurring in a place or thing; existing or occurring now;
now being considered or discussed; expressing an action now going on or
habitually performed or a condition now existing; the period of time now
occurring
FROM: via Old French from Latin praesent-
‘being at hand,’ present participle of praeesse, from prae ‘before’ + esse ‘be.’
BIBLE VERSE: Do your best to present yourself to God as one
approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles
the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)
THOUGHTS: This word can have many
connotations depending on use. For instance, we can present (offer) a present
(gift) to a person in the present (now) moment. In our citation from 2 Timothy,
we are encouraged to present (offer) ourselves to God.
In the Old Testament there
are many admonishments to present the proper sacrifice in order to be ‘make
right’ with God. In the New Testament, the physical offering shifts to the
giving of ourselves to God in relationship.
Lent
is a good time to consider what we each Present to God. The citation from the
Letter to Timothy suggests that we present ourselves as one who correctly
handles the word of truth. The New Living Translation says “Work hard so you can present yourself to God
and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed
and who correctly explains the word of truth.” We are
encouraged to work to receive approval from God as one who is not ashamed of
the way they explain ‘the word of truth’, which is the Gospel.
PRAYER: Father, you give us different ways to present the Gospel.
Let me be a good worker and present it fully and correctly.
SCRAPBOOK PROMPTS:
Do you have an image in your mind
of obedience? A child, a puppy, something else? Add it to your journal and jot
down why that is your idea of obedience, and how it relates to being obedient
to God.
Draw a picture of a Gift. Inside
is what you present to God. What will God find inside?
Is there a connection between
obedience to God and what we present to God?
