This kind of obstinance is nothing unique, and despite my occasional hubris, nothing admirable. Stubbornly insisting that you know better, and refusing to acknowledge authority is not simply rude and inconsiderate, it is a relationship killer. Refusing to play along, follow rules, respect authority, listen to others, acknowledge my limitations and being self-righteous have hampered my relationships with others. I always thought I was being strong by resisting authority, but I was really keeping myself from fully engaging in relationships. Submitting to authority and becoming obedient requires humility and is a sign of strength not weakness. To have a relationship with God, means we must submit ourselves to God's will, we must acknowledge that we are not God and not in charge. To be faithful to God, we must become obedient and allow God to work in us, or we will simply be following our own desires.
God's word is filled with instruction and guidance to God's people. We are called to be obedient to God not because God wants or needs to be in control, but because God's word offers us a way to stay in right relationship with God. The word of God tells us who God is, what God has done, and who are in relationship to God. As we study and learn the word, we become more and more in tune and connected to God, and our relationship becomes stronger. When we go our own way, when we refuse to listen or submit, we can get ourselves in big trouble. Scripture not only captures God's words of guidance and instruction, but cautionary tales of the mess we can get into when we go our own way. The story of the golden calf illustrates this perfectly.
When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Aaron said to them, “Take off the gold rings that are on the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” So all the people took off the gold rings from their ears, and brought them to Aaron. He took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; and they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!” Exodus 32:1-4
As Moses was on the mountaintop receiving God's word, Aaron and the Israelites were reveling in their idolatry. Without God's word of instruction and guidance the people forgot who God was, what God had done for them, and followed their own sinful and self-gratifying desires. Without God, the people were lost whether they knew it or not. Similarly, when we refuse to listen to God's word, when we refuse to submit to God in our life we are in danger of forgetting who God is, who we are, and constructing gods based on our sinful desires, our lives get torn apart and disintegrate.
When we learn to listen to what God is saying and follow where the Spirit leads, we move away from ourselves and toward God. When we submit ourselves to God's will and become obedient, we align ourselves with God's vision for our lives. As we study the word, learn to listen, and faithfully respond God can and will do miraculous work in and through us. So if you are like me and have authority issues, listen up: the Word is speaking.
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