What My Obedience to God Costs Other People

Back in 2004 God took me through a year long renewal/revival with Him. By the end of that I found that I no longer cared anything about becoming “seen” or “known” through “religiosity.” No, all I cared about was being where God wanted me to be, doing what He wanted me to be doing. However, I still had some learning experiences to work through.  I naively assumed that other believers I knew would automatically see the truths God was revealing to my heart and rejoice in their own revival. However, that was not the case. In fact, most of them quit talking with me. I found myself isolated and separate. The more I obeyed God the more separate I became. If we check this out with scripture we will find that this is the way it is. Our little minds and our fragile egos may not like that, but it is the way it is. However, God is good. He will bring into our lives those whom He uses to encourage us and keep us focused on Him and His glory. I pray that the following devotional by Oswald Chambers speaks to your heart has it has to mine many times. – Mike Ratliff

What My Obedience to God Costs Other people

by Oswald Chambers

“They laid hold upon one Simon…and on him they laid the cross.” (Luke 23:26)

If we obey God it is going to cost other people more than it costs us, and that is where the sting comes in. If we are in love with our Lord, obedience does not cost us anything, it is a delight, but it costs those who do not love Him a good deal. If we obey God it will mean that other people’s plans are upset, and they will gibe us with it–“You call this Christianity?” We can prevent the suffering; but if we are going to obey God, we must not prevent it, we must let the cost be paid.

Our human pride entrenches itself on this point, and we say–I will never accept anything from anyone. We shall have to, or disobey God. We have no right to expect to be in any other relation than our Lord Himself was in (see Luke 8:2-3).

Stagnation in spiritual life comes when we say we will bear the whole thing ourselves. We cannot. We are so involved in the universal purposes of God that immediately we obey God, others are affected. Are we going to remain loyal in our obedience to God and go through the humiliation of refusing to be independent, or are we going to take the other line and say–I will not cost other people suffering? We can disobey God if we choose, and it will bring immediate relief to the situation, but we shall be a grief to our Lord. Whereas if we obey God, He will look after those who have been pressed into the consequences of our obedience. We have simply to obey and to leave all consequences with Him.

Beware of the inclination to dictate to God as to what you will allow to happen if you obey Him.

Soli Deo Gloria!