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Obedience is not optional

Obedience Is Not Optional, It’s Everything

Your mom says, “Wash the dishes.”
You sweep the floor, clean your room, make the bed, and cut the lawn but the dishes sit untouched.

Did you obey?

No.

You did good things. Helpful things. Maybe even harder things. But you didn’t do what was asked.

This simple truth mirrors a deeper spiritual reality: obedience to God is not replaceable by other good works no matter how sincere, sacrificial, or impressive they seem.

God doesn’t need your extras when He’s clearly asked for something specific. He wants your obedience.

What Scripture Says

1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV)
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”

King Saul thought offering extra sacrifices would cover his disobedience. God rejected it. Obedience > religious effort.

John 14:15 (ESV)
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”

Love for God is proven through obedience—not words, feelings, or substitute actions.

James 4:17 (ESV)
“So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.”

Knowing God’s clear instruction and doing something else, even something good, is still disobedience.

The Danger of Substituting Obedience

We often think:
– “I gave to charity, so it’s fine I skipped church.”
– “I’m kind to strangers, so it doesn’t matter if I gossip.”
– “I pray a lot, so my anger at home is excusable.”

But God sees the heart and the choice.

When He calls you to forgive, forgive.
When He calls you to serve, serve.
When He calls you to speak truth, speak it.

Don’t offer God your lawn-mowing when He asked for dishes.

Final Thought

Good works matter but only when they flow from obedience, not as a cover for disobedience.

God isn’t impressed by your spiritual résumé if you’re ignoring His clear commands.

So ask yourself:
What has God clearly asked me to do and am I doing it?

Because obedience isn’t one option among many.
It’s the only response that honors Him.

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