Obey God

“Better for us to obey God than man!” 

Acts 5:29

Many people today obey man rather than God for different reasons- expediency, political correctness in the name of tolerance, money, popularity, convenience, selfishness, etc. The apostles were different. Even in the face of death, arrest, or jail, they stood their ground.  “We must obey God rather than men!” Where did they get their courage and strength?

They knew Jesus, they were witnesses, and they had the helper Jesus sent, the Holy Spirit. Sometimes people think it is easier to follow the ways of the world. An unwanted child in the womb? Get rid of it. A tax problem? Give grease money. Caught in dilemma? Lie. Lie. Lie. Follow the path of least resistance. It is not easy to obey God’s laws. That is what the world wants us to think. But that is only when God is out of the equation. 

God is bigger than our problems, our dilemmas, any trouble facing us. I confess that I can be anxious about even the most absurd things, but sometimes it is not absurd at all, like a few months into the pandemic when we realized it was not going to end soon.

One of our employees was telling us yesterday that her friends would ask her what will happen to our business. It will probably close because we are not selling essential items. But our staff said she held on to God’s faithfulness, knowing He will take care of us. She quoted from Matthew 5:45, “He makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” It is only when we stop worrying and go back to God’s promises that we can relax. 

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” (1 Thess. 5:18) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” (Phil. 4:6) “With God all things are possible.” (Matthew 19:26). 

Like the Apostles, we can know Jesus by reading about Him, talking to Him and listening to Him, and following His wise ways. And with the Holy Spirit, we can be victorious and obey Him rather than men.