Obedience
by Clint Chamberlain
Obedience is a word that can stir up all type of emotions and images. Context is a big part of how we react to the word obedience. I grew up the oldest of three brothers. I am sure every parent can understand that there were lots of occasions for us to learn what obedience was and wasn’t. Our dad had a definition of obedience that went like this: To obey means to do what you are asked, when you are asked, with a right heart attitude. I have been so thankful over the years, as a father of three kids, that my dad instilled in me the meaning of obedience.
What does obedience look like in the life of a Christ follower? I have found that obedience to God is tied directly to me listening to what he is trying to say to me. I am not saying God speaks to me in an audible voice, but He speaks to me through His word, through my relationships with others, through the Holy Spirit and through His creation. Scripture gives us examples of how hearing and obedience are related:
But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22 NIV
Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—but my ears you have opened burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require. Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—it is written about me in the scroll. I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.” Psalms 40: 6-8
What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don’t you know that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one you obey—whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness. Romans 6:15-18
We could go on and on with verses that speak to obedience and the results of not hearing and obeying God, but I want us to apply this to our lives.
The question for all of us is this: am I doing what God has asked me to do, when he has asked me to do it and am I doing it with a right heart attitude? To better contextualize, we can examine our obedience in light of Council Road’s purpose statement that we often say at the end of our worship services, which is an abbreviated re-affirmation of our mission statement as well as our church covenant:
We exist as a church to celebrate the Glory of God in our worship, to connect the truths of God’s Word to the way we live, to love others into biblical community, and to commit our lives to His redemptive cause.
Some questions for us to reflect on as it relates to our obedience are as follows:
· Am I worshipping God on a personal level?
· Am I faithfully gathering to worship with my church family?
· Am I pursuing relationships with individuals that don’t know Christ?
· Am I reading and studying God’s word so I can connect the truths of it to my daily life?
· Am I in a group with others where I can be challenged, held accountable, learn and experience biblical community?
· Am I involved in the missional ministry of the church in both my participation and financial commitment to ministry, the expenses of the church, the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel locally and globally?
As you ask yourself these questions, you must ask in light of our working definition. You may be “doing” all of these things, but are you doing it “when” God asks and with a “right heart attitude”?
I was raised in a family where giving to the church financially was something I was shown by example and was expected to do when I was older and started earning money. I was taught that everything belongs to God, and as part of our obedience, we give 10 percent back to Him. Fast forward into college years and then marriage, giving has always been part of my life. When I was in my 30s, I realized that my giving was not out of a heart of obedience, but from a heart of habit and legalism. I was reminded that God doesn’t need my money, it all belongs to Him anyway. I was reminded that He didn’t need Clint to fund the ministry of His church. I was doing “what” God has asked me to do, I was “doing” it when He asked me to, but my issue was my “heart attitude.” I was not allowing my giving to impact my heart and to be part of my worship and acknowledgement of who He is and all that He has blessed me with. My heart attitude had become one of habit, not one of gratitude, that He had made me a steward of resources that I am to put to Kingdom use. Since changing my heart attitude in my giving, I have found joy over the years of watching him use our family for His plan and purpose.
I encourage you to pause and reflect on your obedience. Are you doing what you are asked, when you are asked, with a right heart attitude?
Author Bio
Clint was born and grew up in southern Oklahoma in the small rural community of Ringling. He attended Oklahoma State University where he studied geology, then spent 11 years working in the oil and gas industry and the environmental services industry as a consultant and managing two different companies.
On February 2, 1990, on the side of the road outside of Bakersfield, CA, he answered God’s call to go into full time ministry and change his career path. He calls this his “Road to Bakersfield” experience. He started serving in the church bi-vocationally and then went into full-time vocational ministry in 1992.
Clint and his wife, Deb, have lived in the Oklahoma City area since 1989 and have served at Council Road since 2003. He often reminds people that the church is not a building, but a community of individuals living out their faith where they are in everyday life.
Clint currently serves as the Executive Pastor of Outside-the-Walls Ministries at Council Road in Bethany, OK. He is passionate about creating environments where people can experience God in the “everyday” of life. Clint married his wife, Deb, in 1982, and they have three adult children that are all married, two wonderful daughters-in-law, one great son-in-law and five incredible grandkids.
