To obey or not?

I want to talk to you about the chores. Yes, again - I see you rolling those eyes, missy :)

In all seriousness, though, I do want to talk. We have three rules - put things where they belong, open the blinds, and empty the trash when the lid doesn't close anymore. The truth is, those rules are arbitrary. The rules themselves are, well, minor and unimportant in the grand scheme of things. What is important is obedience.

Rhetorical question - what's the difference between compliance and obedience? Think about that for just a minute. I'll wait. La-la-la-ta-da-la-ta-da. Okay, this is what I think...

Compliance is the act of doing what is requested. Obedience is giving the other person something that they desire, spiritually. Compliance is physical, Obedience is spiritual. What's the difference?

We obey out of love. We obey because our relationship with someone else matters more to us than our own selfish desires. Obedience always involves death. Every time you obey, you die to your flesh. That's why it is so hard. Because our flesh fights tooth and nail for its life. It does not want to submit to the spirit.

In John 14:15, Jesus tells Phillip "if you love Me, you will keep and obey my commandments". Jesus wasn't commanding Phillip to comply. Jesus was stating a fact. When we love Him, we behave like Him. When we love Him, we submit our will to His. We do what He wants instead of just what we want.

Now don't hear me wrong. There are plenty of times when He wants us to enjoy something that we want. I am not saying that you never get your way. Just the opposite - you get your way by giving Him His. Because He wants for you more than you can ever imagine. The things you want aren't big enough. You think too small. Ponder that for a second. Because I have a pretty vivid and expansive imagination. God wants more.

The consequence of submission is transformation. When you submit to someone, you become more like them. When I submit to God, He changes me. As I become more like Him, of course I would behave more like Him. That's obedience - when it is totally natural for me to do what God would do because I am of the same mind. Obedience focuses on the person that you obey.

Compliance focuses on you. I remember hearing about a bus drivers strike in France. The bus drivers did not picket or anything we would normally picture. They complied. They followed every rule in the handbook. And nothing got done. They complied with the rules in order to get their own way. Compliance comes from resentment and rebellion.

When you comply instead of obey, it sends the message that you do not love me. That what I do, who I am, is unimportant to you. And that hurts. A lot. Compliance is part of obedience. But obedience is so much more. And that's what God wants for us. It's what I want for you - more.

This is my two cents worth, anyway.