Last words

Coming to the end of his thoughts on life, wisdom and choices, Solomon gives us these profound words. Having read through the previous 12 chapters of Ecclesiastes they certainly sum up his sentiments neatly. 

"That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty. God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad." - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

This is the best advice we could pass onto the younger generation, and those who still need to hear this advice: 

Let us have a reverence for God (a holy fear) and be willing to follow God's ways. In the end, we will all be judged according to our actions and I am grateful that my life will be judged by one person only - The Lord.

"The remarkable thing about God is that when you fear God, you fear nothing else, whereas if you do not fear God, you fear everything else." - Oswald Chambers

Living in Grace

D3LM3

Origin of the word Obedience

 

So we all think we know what the word 'Obedience' means, don't we? It means to OBEY or to follow the instructions of someone else, which is true; however it is so much more than that. Sadly, the context of the word has been tarnished over the years and is usually linked with a negative connotation attached to it.

Obedience comes from a Latin word 'oboedire'. The first part of this word means 'in the direction of', while 'audire' means 'to hear.' Therefore, to practise obedience implies that we lean in towards someone else, listening to what they have to say. In the case of Christ-followers, we show our obedience to Christ by 'leaning into Him', eager to hear his word and what God has to say.

For me, this makes my obedience a much more active response to Christ and not merely one of being a puppet on a string.

2 John 1:6 - And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.

 

Living in Grace
D3LM3

P.S. I have been grateful to Abbot Christopher Jamison for his insightful comments on Obedience. He wrote a beautiful book entitled: "Finding Sanctuary".