Total Obedience
Take your son, your only son, Isaac,
whom you love…
Genesis 22:2
Aaron knew he was in trouble when he
came down for breakfast and his father hadn’t left for work yet. As
Aaron sat down at the kitchen table, Gerald asked, “What time did
you get home last night?”
“About twelve-fifteen,” Aaron
responded guardedly. Then, anticipating his father’s next question,
Aaron said, “I know, you told me to have the car home at midnight.
But I was only fifteen minutes late, Dad,” he added, hoping his
father would overlook his curfew violation.
“You’re seventeen, Aaron,” Gerald
said. “And that means you abide by the rules that govern this
household…all of them. You broke curfew. No car for a month. And
when we restore your driving privileges you will have the car back by
eleven o’clock until you prove we can trust you again.”
Aaron couldn’t resist. “I don’t
see what the big deal is! It was only fifteen minutes!”
“The big deal is,” Gerald said,
“you decided to disobey the rules. And as you well know, that means
consequences.” Then he added, “Aaron, disobedience breeds
contempt for authority. If you can’t follow our rules, how do you
think you’ll do with society’s rules?”
“I’ll do just fine, no thanks to
you!” Aaron responded flippantly.
“Don’t disrespect me, Aaron,”
Gerald said, holding his frustration in check. After a minute, he
added, “I love you, son. And though it may not seem like it at the
moment, your mother and I want what’s best for you. But, if you
refuse to follow the rules, someday your attitude will get you into
more serious trouble than just the loss of driving privileges.”
†
Rules, as many would glibly challenge,
are not made to be broken. They have been put in place for our
protection, yet many of us, like Aaron, test their limits.
God commanded Abraham to sacrifice
Isaac on Mount Moriah. Abraham did not hesitate. Why? Because
anything less than his ‘total obedience’ would have been disobedience,
and Abraham loved God enough to trust Him completely.
When we obey authority we reap a
reward. When we disobey we open ourselves up to any number of
consequences. Obedience recognizes the wisdom in such a choice and
chooses rightly.
Prayer
“Father God, may You
always find in me a spirit of obedience and submission to Your
protection for my life. Amen.”
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