Obedience is Better than Sacrifice, part 1

It is always good to be together in the presence of our Lord, to learn from His Word and grow deeper in our understanding of His will for our lives. This week, we going to be looking at a portion of a larger passage, found in the book of 1 Samuel, where we will be focusing on chapter 15, verse 22, where we read, “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’” NIV. 

In this passage, we find a powerful reminder of the importance of Obedience to God. Obedience is not just a matter of following rules or adhering to certain rituals. Instead, it is about aligning our hearts and minds with the heart and mind of God. It’s about embracing His will for our lives, seeking to live in a way that reflects His love and righteousness.
 

Honoring God through Complete Obedience

When we think about what it means to honor God, we might first think of worship, prayer, or acts of service. These are all important, but there is something even more fundamental at the heart of honoring God: Obedience. When we obey God, we are not just following rules. We are showing our love for Him, our trust in Him, and our commitment to His ways.
 

Let me tell you from first-hand experience that Obedience isn’t always easy, partly because it requires us to put aside our own desires and plans and to surrender our will to God’s will. It might mean making difficult choices or sacrifices. But when we choose Obedience, we are choosing to honor God in the most profound way possible. 

The first aspect of this idea that we need to understand is the connection between Obedience and Love. In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love Me, keep My commands.”  Jesus is not making a conditional statement here. He is not saying, “If you love Me, then you have to do what I say.”  Instead, He is showing us that love and Obedience are inherently linked.

Continued tomorrow