Obedience to the Master and a Tale of Two Dogs

When our boys were younger, we got them dog. A chocolate lab we named Luke. Best dog ever. Yes, he was little crazy in his puppy years but for the next five or six years, he was the best dog you could ask for. He was happy, obedient, and just lived to do what you asked. Labs love to make their master’s happy. Fast forward a few years and we rescued a dog from a friend of ours that needed a home. Completely different dog.

Ruger is a rambunctious lab/pit mix that is as stubborn as a mule. Some days, he’s man’s best friend. Other days not so much. I like to say, “he’s stubborn but he ain’t stupid.” You can give him a command and he’ll do what you ask, mostly. You can tell him to sit, and he’ll sit. Until you break eye contact with him, then all bets are off. You can tell him to stay, and he’ll stay, kinda. He’ll stay for a second or two until you get a few feet away and then he wants to follow you.

When he hears noises, he doesn’t like, which is pretty much constantly, he likes to bark. I typically respond by telling him to "go lay down." And he’ll do it, begrudgingly. I have to tell him once or twice to get in his spot and lay down, and he’ll do it but he’s very vocal about not liking what he’s being told to do. He grunts, growls, huffs, and sighs. It’s very annoying. He’s a selfish dog and just wants what he wants. Far too often I fear God sees variations of these two dogs in us humans regarding our level of commitment to the commands of the Master.

In the book of Hosea in chapter 6:6 it says, “I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.” Jesus repeats these words again a few times in the book of Matthew. In both cases, it was directed to religious leaders of the day who were caught up in the ritualistic actions of the law but didn’t love the giver of the Law. In Hosea, the people were serving other gods while still making sacrifices to the one true God. Their obedience to the commands of God was not motivated by their love for God. Similarly, we too can get caught up in religious signaling and acts that are not motivated by our love for Christ. Sometimes we are like Ruger, we know what the commands are, and we know what they mean, we just don’t like obeying them. So, what does true obedience to the Master involve?

Obedience involves submitting our will to God's will

I gave my life to Christ when I was around 7-8 years old. It was an easy decision. I knew I was a sinner condemned to hell before a holy God and I needed a Savior. Seemed like an easy decision at the time. It’s been much harder to die to myself daily every day since. My sinful nature and selfishness rears its ugly head daily. This is why Paul calls us in Romans 12 to be a living sacrifice. We have to get up every day and go through every day submitting our will to God’s will. 

This involves seeking out the will of God in every aspect of your life. “God, is this the job you want me to have? Am I bringing glory to you by working in this line of work?” It’s seeking God’s will for a life partner. “God, is this the woman or man that you want me to spend my life with? Is the person you are dating or wanting to date or eventually marry pushing you closer to Christ or drawing you away from him?” Are you spending your money on things that would honor Christ? Are you using all of your money to please yourself, or is a portion of it going to support the local church, missions, or the less fortunate?” These are hard questions, but a disciple of Jesus Christ thinks about their relationship to Jesus Christ first and how any decision they make is going to affect their relationship with Christ. That is a life that is fully surrendered to Christ. Jesus set the standard by living a life of complete obedience and surrender to the Father's will, and He calls us to follow that same example.

Obedience involves living in accordance with biblical commands

If you are going to obey the commands of Jesus, you have to know what they are. Thankfully, Jesus gave his followers the CliffsNotes of all the Old Testament commands:

Matthew 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’40 The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.”

Disciples of Christ can be identified very quickly by the love they have for God and the love they have for other people. And while they may not be perfect at both, there should be sufficient evidence in their life that they are in pursuit of those things.

Obedience involves trusting in God for all things

At the start of John 14, Jesus made the promise to his disciples, and by extension us, that he was going away but he was coming back again. He goes on to say in verse twenty that he is going to die and then be raised from the dead. He reiterates again at the end of John 14 that ultimately, his work on earth was done but he would be coming back again someday.

John 14:27-28

27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. 28 Remember what I told you: I am going away, but I will come back to you again…

The disciples here in this passage were still struggling to understand what was about to happen to Jesus in the coming hours. He was not going to be the conquering king many had expected. At least not yet. He was on a rescue mission instead. Soon to rescue humanity from the scourge of sin. He promised he was coming back. He promised we wouldn’t be alone while he was gone. He promised peace of mind and heart like you can’t find in the world. In return, he’s asking for those who love him, his disciples, to be obedient and to trust him.

I don’t know about you, but I’m going to put my trust in that promise. He went to the cross, he was crucified, buried, rose again, and ascended to the Father just like he said he was going to and has promised me that he’s coming back again. I think I’ll put my faith and trust in Jesus and live in obedience to Him to the best of my ability until he either returns or calls me home.

Conclusion

It is going to cost you something to be a disciple of Jesus. It’s going to cost you your obedience as you commit to making Jesus, the Lord of your life. It’s going to require that you die to yourself and submit your will to him daily. It’s going to require that you obey his commands. And it’s going to require you to trust him in all things. No, you’re not going to be perfect. But remember that Jesus isn’t expecting perfection. He’s expecting obedience. And for those times you stumbled and fall, your love for Jesus drives you towards repentance for your sins and his grace is there to motivate you once again to strive to be obedient to the Master.