What does it mean for me to obey? Well, I know what things lead me closer and closer to God, and those are undoubtedly the things that God wills for me in my life. Things like this blog (which is not the easiest thing for me to put out there, but is beneficial for me). The times I set aside to pray and read the Bible. When I have godly conversations with my friends. When I do and stand for things that God approves of (like AIA ministries!)
Obedience is such a tricky thing at this point in a person's life. 17-25+. Obviously, I haven't seen the rest of life yet, so I can't make a completely fair comparison, but there is SO MUCH GOING ON in life right now and there is SO MUCH YET TO LEARN. The mixture of the two is what I think makes it so difficult. I would guess that other periods of life have more of a balance between the two. Obviously, there is an incredible amount of stuff going on in the working-world when you're married with children, but (hopefully) by this point, you have learned what it is you need to know. During primary and secondary school, there is so much left to learn, but the tough, life-changing decisions and responsibilities are not quite fully upon you. But in the past few years, my friends and fellow young adults have had to make decisions towards the paths of life that are going to affect us for the rest of our life - and from what I've experienced, we're making these decisions with a limited amount of information! Because of generational gaps, we don't always seek the wisdom of those who've navigated these paths before us and dangerously rely on our own knowledge of the world to get where we're going. Trial and error has its place, but how much more successful could my generation be if we sought the knowledge of mature Christian mentors and learned how to obey God instead of "following our heart" which is what the world foolishly tells us to do? Well, my heart told me to follow a boy aimlessly through high school and where did that lead me? To insecurity and self-doubt. Thankfully, God had bigger plans for me which I've since discovered and am now trying to follow, but the sad thing is, it's so common at my age to rely on all the wrong things: popularity, "love", affluence, and probably the most harmful: our own knowledge. The world tells us we know all. But think about it this way: two years ago, when you thought you knew everything, did you? Do you think you know everything now? What about two years from now? Will you not know more? Proverbs 1:7 says "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction." In fact, just check out this link if you're around 17-25...
So, I hope that you can learn to rely on the only reliable source. Listen for what he has in store for you. We all love the verse from Jeremiah 29:11, "'For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'" But I challenge you to keep reading - and in context. We all want that! A hope and prosperous future, free of harm! But God doesn't promise this to just anyone. He is promising this to the Israelites who are essential for his plan of salvation. If this nation didn't survive Babylon, he wouldn't be able to make good on his promise to deliver humanity through Abraham's line. So, if this promise is appealing to you, become essential to God's plans for humanity by obeying God and believing in Christ his Son! Jeremiah 29:13 "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart."
My first year of summer camps with Athletes in Action, I was trained by a beautiful woman of God, Bev Baum, who asked us a question that has never left my mind. I'd like to share it with you:
"What will you do with your life that will last forever?"
Are you willing to seriously answer that question?
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