DAILY ENCOUNTER

TO OBEY IS BETTER

"And Samuel said, Hath 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 hearken than the fat of rams." 1 Samuel 15:22

Glory to God! Healing can be made possible through obedience to God's instruction. One of the greatest expressions of our dependence in God is our obedience to what He says. How can you say you love God and cannot obey His Word? God is not merely interested in what we give Him; He is deeply interested in whether we are willing to listen to Him and to do what He says. Obedience demonstrates that we trust His wisdom, honour His authority, and value His instructions above our own desires. King Saul learned this lesson the hard way. God had given him a clear instruction concerning the Amalekites, but Saul chose to partially obey. He spared King Agag and kept the best animals, apparently intending to use them as sacrifices to God. However, God did not consider Saul's actions as obedience. Samuel made it clear that obedience cannot be replaced by religious activity or sacrifice. Sometimes, people try to compensate for disobedience by doing more religious things. They may give offerings, attend church regularly, serve in ministry, pray extensively, or make great sacrifices while deliberately ignoring an instruction God has given them. But God is more interested in a surrendered heart than impressive religious activity.

Obedience may sometimes require us to do what is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or contrary to our immediate desires. Yet, when God speaks, our responsibility is not to negotiate His instruction but to obey it. True faith is demonstrated by our willingness to act on God's Word even when we do not fully understand what He is doing. We must also understand that partial obedience is still disobedience. Saul obeyed only the parts of God's command that suited him. He then attempted to justify his actions with sacrifice. This teaches us that we should not alter God's instructions to accommodate our preferences and then expect our substitutes to receive His approval. There are blessings attached to obedience. Today, let us examine our hearts. Is there something God has instructed us to do that we have postponed, modified, or replaced with something else? Have we been trying to compensate for an area of disobedience through increased religious activity? God is calling us back to simple, wholehearted obedience. Let us choose to obey His Word promptly, completely, and joyfully. What God desires from us is not merely sacrifice on the altar but surrender in the heart. Hallelujah!!!

FURTHER STUDY

Deuteronomy 28:1-2; John 14:15; James 1:22

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Is there any instruction from God's Word that I have been postponing, modifying, or partially obeying because it is inconvenient for me?
  2. Am I trying to substitute religious activities, sacrifices, or service for simple obedience to what God has instructed me to do?

PRAYERS
Father, I obtain grace to have a heart that is completely yielded to You. Help me to hear Your voice clearly and obey Your Word promptly, completely, and joyfully. Deliver me from partial obedience and from every desire to substitute sacrifice for surrender. May my life continually demonstrate my love for You through obedience in Jesus's name

Comments

  1. De-Sparkling HeartAugust 27, 2026 at 8:12 AM

    Lord give me the grace not to negotiate your instructions but to obey it

    ReplyDelete
  2. Q-miAugust 27, 2026 at 12:27 PM

    “But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.”
    ‭‭James‬ ‭1‬:‭22‬ .

    The grace to obey your word Lord🙏

    ReplyDelete
  3. ShelmaAugust 27, 2026 at 5:20 PM

    Lord Jesus, help me hear your voice clearly and give me the grace to obey 🙏

    ReplyDelete

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