Obedience is better than sacrifice

One of the greatest lessons I am learning this year is that obedience is, indeed, better than sacrifice. The prophet Samuel actually confronted King Saul in 1 Samuel 15 because Saul chose to do things his way … not God’s way. 1 Samuel 15:22 [ESV] says: “And Samuel said, ‘Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.’” 

What does this passage that was written nearly 2600 years ago have to do with us today? EVERYTHING! 
Why did God preserve this for us within the pages of His sacred script?

For me, personally, I discovered I was stuck in the performance trap. Trying to earn the Father’s love & forgiveness. Serving in church, gaining theological knowledge, quoting Scripture, serving others, trying to love other people, desiring to go abroad to bring relief to peoples who were/are suffering … at the end of the night, though, there was only grief. Heartache. Severe loneliness, anxiety … more despair than not. I wasn’t managing my life very well. I was at a loss for words because I “knew” truth. I “knew” some of the right answers. After all, ten years ago I was told I’d gotten saved and I was trying to live accordingly. Why wasn’t I able to keep it together? I went through Freedom Session. I was doing Bible studies online. I was doing all the right things … People said "do more for others and that will help" ... That compounded the problem because I ran myself into the ground and burned out.


But God in His great, Fatherly mercy showed up!!! The Lord began meeting me in some of the most real, most difficult places of my life. The first place in which He met me was my faith. He wouldn’t take His finger off this area of my life … no matter how much I avoided this topic. As I walked away from a faith I’d held onto so dearly for a decade, I came face-to-face with One who quietly shouted that this life wasn’t/isn’t about me. It’s about HIM. His glory. His honour. In the great struggle of leaving what I’ve known … knowing that I remember very little about my church years prior to the journey that started in late 2011 … it’s been a time of relearning. A time of TOTAL surrender … realizing that I wasn’t saved in 2011 broke my heart, and yet, it brought a sense of freedom because I was no longer living a lie before the Lord and before the world. 

Today … even early in this journey of renewal, life is different. Sure, struggles are still real, but because Jesus is Lord of all I am, I am confident that there’s Someone with me. Now, there’s a higher reason to serve. A greater purpose in learning the deeper things … that I may know HIM in greater measure! Scripture is more than just rote words from a page in a book … when I fail, and I do with greater frequency than I care to discuss, I don’t question what I’m supposed to do. I don't even question whether the Father in Heaven will reject me or be utterly disgusted with me. I don't wonder if He regrets my existence anymore. 1 John 1:9 says that the Lord is faithful & just to forgive me of my sin if I will confess it to Him. I don’t question the validity of my salvation or the eternality of it, either.

Why the difference? Faith and logic. For me, the peace didn’t come from the counsel received by others. And may I say that I'm so abundantly blessed with friends and family that span this globe ... and I know that the counsel that they gave/still give is from God. They back up their counsel with applicable Scripture. Peace came from the FACT that my salvation is a gift from God & I am sealed by the Holy Spirit … and if it didn’t depend on me in the beginning then it doesn’t depend on me in the end. I’m thankful to be in a church where obedience to the Lord is of utmost importance. Since Jesus’ command was for believers to be baptized, that is scheduled … and although I’m not exactly fond of water, I’m not dreading this. There’s an actual joy … there’s joy in following Jesus. This joy is different, too. It’s one that hasn’t ceased.

Another thing that I've begun to notice is that when Jesus is Lord of all, you don't mind having a Father. In all honesty, I wanted Jesus without the Father. As ludicrous as this idea is, when you have faced life with an absent or abusive father, you just don't want one. This is a tactic from the enemy of our souls, Friend! Psychologists refer to this as 'self-preservation'.....It's sin. Pure & simple. It's REJECTING God the Father. And when you or I reject the Father, we reject all of God because we serve a God who is triune in nature. 

Obedience is the FIRST step … obedience to the God of the universe that brings an eternal relationship makes sacrifice not seem like sacrifice. I guess that’s why He said it was better.

So, I ask you, dear Reader, are you avoiding being obedient to whatever God is calling you to? He stands ready to forgive. Ready to lead. Ready to restore and heal the years that the locusts have eaten ... if we will come to Him in faith & repentance.