So CloseBy Lexi Ellis
“If you love me, keep my commands.”John 14:15 (NIV)
When walking in the woods, I’ll have my dog, Calvin, off-leash with his correction collar on. Since he was a puppy, he’s been trained specifically that “here” means come all the way back to us. But once and a while, after hearing “here,” he’ll turn around quickly, start running towards me but stop before coming back all the way...trying to see if he can get credit for obeying. Our trainer was clear that if “here” means come all the way back to me, then halfway may be so close, but it isn’t fully obeying.
Scripture is filled with examples of men and women who were so close but struggled to fully obey God’s command because of their heart condition. Their actions resembled obedience, but their attitudes revealed pride, anger, manipulation and bitterness.
Aaron and Miriam got sick of obeying God’s call to follow Moses and turned to bitterness and gossip. God’s response was His own version of a correction collar in the form of temporary leprosy for Miriam. (Numbers 12) They were so close to obeying, but allowed title and pride to rule.
Gideon obeyed and God used him to accomplish a task only possible with God. Yet later in his life, Gideon allowed idols and pride to become his legacy. [1] Gideon was so close to obeying God fully but struggled to give God the credit and used God’s victory for his own glory and revenge.
After a correction collar that looked like a big fish, Jonah obeyed, went to Nineveh, and preached repentance, but got grumpy and angry when his version of justice wasn’t allowed by God. He basically said, “I knew you would be compassionate, God, and I’m annoyed you aren’t giving these people what they deserve.” Jonah was so close to obeying fully but missed a deeper understanding of God’s grace. (Jonah 4)
This isn’t a problem exclusively in the stories of Scripture. We often struggle in obeying God’s call fully because of our attitude. We complain, quit or manipulate so we get more credit. While God recognizes we are selfish and doesn’t require perfect people to do His work, we are also called to pursue complete obedience. When God calls “here,” we need to refuse to come halfway but instead come to Him completely...in action and in attitude.
GOING DEEPER:
1. In what ways are you only “so close” to fully obeying God?
2. What do you need to do to move closer to full obedience?
FURTHER READING:
Lexi and her husband, Andrew, have an adorable dog named Calvin. Lexi teaches sixth grade Reading and Writing. She serves with Children’s Ministries and is the Fresh Start Coordinator.
[1] For more on Gideon, check out Priscilla Shriver’s Bible study, “Gideon: Your Weakness, God’s Strength” or listen to Oakwood Church’s two sermons (August 9 & 16) in the “Blurry” series, https://vimeo.com/album/3524060
