But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”
I Samuel 15:22
The words of Christ to His Father not as I will but as You will… (Matthew 26:39) demonstrate that obedience was the spiritual attitude of Christ. True obedience begins in the interior life. Too often we are more concerned with the things we do rather than with the attitude of our heart. In the scripture above, Saul thought that because he had made a sacrifice to God, he was pleasing God. But his heart was not obedient, as pointed out by Samuel.
David was described as a man after God’s own heart. (I Samuel 13:14) In the Psalms, David said that he loved God’s law. (Psalm 119:97,127) Being obedient to God requires a diligent search of the Scriptures so that we know what God commands. Then we need to incorporate the Word into our lives.
Micah 6:8 provides an accurate description of what obedience involves: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you the strength and power to have an obedient heart.
Have you been sacrificing for God and calling it obedience? God tells us in His Word that God is looking for obedience, not sacrifice. Sometimes we work so hard for God and sacrifice so much that we forget He is looking for a humble heart willing to simply love and follow Him.
Heavenly Father,
I have been trying to work for You, thinking that what You have required of me is sacrifice. But all You require is a humble heart of love that seeks to know You and to love You through obedience. Help me show my love for You through obedience.
In Jesus’ name, Amen
