If I created the rules of relationships then I would get scored really highly for effort. To the ongoing frustration of my wife, listening is not something I do especially well. I guess it’s important to do both.

But what does God want us to do? The Bible teaches us that He wants us to love Him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind and all of our strength. In John 14:15, Jesus states that if we love Him then we should obey His commands. In 1 Samuel 15, King Saul is severely rebuked for thinking that it’s ok to disobey God as long as you offer a sacrifice

1 Samuel 15:22-24 Amplified Bible (AMP)

22 Samuel said,

“Has the Lord as great a delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices

As in obedience to the voice of the Lord?

Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,

And to heed [is better] than the fat of rams.”

There have been many times in my life when I’ve tried to convince myself that God doesn’t require my obedience, He is happy if I just do stuff for Him. The truth is that God doesn’t need us to do stuff for Him, he invites us to do stuff for Him out of our relationship with Him. First and foremost He wants us to listen to Him and act upon the things He’s asked us to do.

There are many general things we should all do as Christians that apply to everyone; we should all be honest and upstanding, repentant and generous for example. However there may be specific things that God has asked you to do which we should not ignore. Jonah’s disobedience meant that he ended up in the belly of a whale. Perhaps God has asked you to do something specific, to travel to a certain country or to share a particular gift you have.

Doing what God asks you to do can be scary. It can involve a lot of sacrifice and requires us to trust in Him. I believe that rich rewards are given to those who trust and obey the Lord.

Andy Baker, Chief Enthusiast, Homegrown Worship