TO OBEY OR DISOBEY, THAT IS THE QUESTION!

SCRIPTURE:
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 
“Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 
He called a little child to him, 
and placed the child among them. And he said: 
“Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, 
you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever takes 
the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 
And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”
(Matthew 18:1-5)

MEDITATION:
If everyone was given a choice of going to heaven or hell, 
everyone most would probably choose heaven, right?
Of course we are given that choice, 
and our response determines where we will spend eternity.

The disciples seemingly had lost some of their focus.
They were concerned about their ‘rank’ in heaven and were
overlooking the requirements for getting there in the first place.
Imagine their thoughts when Jesus explained that they needed 
to ‘change’ and ‘become like little children’ in order to enter heaven.
Why would he say that becoming like a child is a requirement for heaven?

Well, for one thing 
a child places an honest and sincere trust in their parents.
If a child’s parents tell them it is safe to do something, 
they will proceed because “My dad says it is safe”.
If a child’s parents tell them not to do something, 
they will make every effort to avoid it because, “My mom said I shouldn’t”.
No matter what their friends want them to do or not do, most of the time
they will make their choices based on what mom or dad said.

Do we do that? Do we have the obedience of a child?
Do we do, or not do things, based on what our Heavenly Father said?
There are some things that most will obey such as “Do not commit murder”.
But what about all the other things God says?

Jesus told His closest friends (disciples) that they needed 
to change and learn the obedience of a child.
Instead of being “self-centered”, they needed to become “God-centered”.
If He said it was important for the disciples to do this, 
shouldn’t it be important for us as well?

For instance if a parent of a child tells them they need to go to church, 
they will go because their parents said they should go.
They will do it all the more if their parents go with them.
Some even go on those days when they don’t feel very well,
or when there is some other activity they want to be a part of.

But what about adults (non-children),
how do we respond to God’s command to go to church?
There are many who are still self-centered and have decided 
that they do not need to obey what God told them to do.

We are clever enough (in our own mind) to justify disobedience to God 
by convincing ourselves that we are 
‘as good (or better) Christians than those who do go’.
It’s not a matter of comparisons with others, 
but a decision of whether we will obey or disobey God.
Have we developed a childlike obedience to our Heavenly Father?

Some can even become offended and assume that others 
think they don’t love God as much as they do 
because they have decided that church is “not for them”.
That is an issue to be discussed with God – but His Word is clear:
“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves 
me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too 
will love them and show myself to them.” (John 14:21)

Whenever we have to justify our actions, more than likely 
it is an indication that we are deviating from His commands.
We should ask ourselves, 
“Am I pleasing God with my responses to His commands?”

One of the reasons church attendance continues to drop is 
people have chosen to obey themselves over obeying God.
When your god allows you to do whatever you want to do,
then your god is really YOU!

Church attendance is just one area 
of evaluating our commitment and obedience to God.
However it is a good indicator of whether or not we have chosen to 
take the advice Jesus gave to His disciples of having a childlike attitude, 
or we have decided to ignore His advice 
and overlook the requirements for entering Heaven.

Jesus also gave His disciples a stern warning about 
causing children who believe in Him to stumble.
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to 
stumble, it would be better for them to have a large millstone hung 
around their neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea. Woe to 
the world because of the things that cause people to stumble! Such 
things must come, but woe to the person through whom they come!
(Matthew 18:6-7)

How can we cause them to stumble?
If our words and/or actions teach children that it is okay to disobey God’s
commands (including attending church), then we have caused them to stumble.
Jesus says that some will cause them to stumble, and the consequences
of their actions will be more severe than they could ever imagine.

ACTION:
What about you?
Have you become like a child when it comes to your relationship with God?
Have you absorbed and applied what Jesus told His disciples?
Do you obey His command to assemble together with other believers, or have
you decided that you know more about God’s requirements than He does?

If you are not attending church as God commands (Hebrews 10:24-25), 
here is a question worth asking yourself:
“Do I get irritated or even angry whenever someone mentions the 
importance of church attendance (as God commands His ‘children’ to do)?”

If you do, you should ask yourself 
“Why would it offend me 
whenever someone reminds me of the things God has said?”

Shouldn’t we want to hear His commands 
and be appreciative when others remind us of them?
His Word tells us that church is where we 
‘spur one another on toward love and good deeds’.

It is at church where we nourish our love and desire to do good deeds.
If we don’t attend, then these two areas will suffer from malnutrition. 
The church is where we connect with other believers; this cannot happen
by watching preachers on television, or listening to them on the radio.

If we don’t obey God’s commands, then aren’t we saying, 
“God, I love you in some areas, but I am not going to love You 
in other areas, no matter how many times You remind me, 
either directly, or indirectly through others”.

Jesus said, “UNLESS YOU CHANGE and become like little children, 
you will NEVER ENTER the kingdom of heaven”.
Become like a child and obey His commands, because God tells you to.

The Bible wasn’t created to be an entertaining book to read; it is an 
instruction book that shows us through examples and illustrations the 
path to eternal life, and how we should live as ‘children of God’.
Don’t be smug and arrogant and decide that you are in control and 
you know best what you should do, just become like a child and obey God.

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for giving me directions for achieving eternal 
peace and joy. Forgive me if I am guilty of deciding for myself which of 
Your commands I will obey. Teach me to change my attitude and develop in me 
a childlike faith with a desire to obey You at all times. Forgive me for 
being selfish and failing to be a child of Yours. Teach me to evaluate my 
love for You based on my commitment and obedience to Your commands, and not 
on how I compare with others. Show me the enjoyment of enjoy spending time 
with You and other believers. Your Word clearly tells me what I need to do 
and I pray that the Holy Spirit will convict me to obey the things You have 
said.”