"Delayed obedience is disobedience." Once I became aware of this phrase I used it at every turn to make my children obey me immediately. There was some frustration on my part, as I wanted what I said to be done instantly and without question. I had a selfish motive and I don't think that was the intention of this phrase.
Obedience often indicates a relationship. Obedience is defined as:
- Compliance with someone's wishes or orders or acknowledgment of their authority.
- Submission to a law or rule.
Within the family, typically the parent does have the child's best interest at heart and unquestionable obedience is what most parents want. (I did not want to reason with a 2 yr old).
However as a child gets older, they may question your request. I don't necessarily think this is wrong as it depends on how and why. We can
question and reason with God,
not to do things our way but to do what He asks of us.
As a parent, if I'm honest there are some things that are requested that warrant questioning. I know for me, I did many things because this is what my parents did, but if a child questioned me, it made me stop and think and sometimes change my requests.
After you have reasoned everything out, once you are told to do something and it is the right thing to do, you should do it. Don't delay further in your response because ultimately obedience reveals the motives of your heart; delayed obedience is disobedience.
As it relates to spiritual matters -
delayed obedience to God is indeed disobedience. He always has our best interest at heart even though we don't always know it. Scripture tells us - to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is a sin (
James 4:17). Also, to obey is better than to sacrifice (
1 Samuel 15:22). In this instance, Saul took matters into his own hands and did what he thought was right, and in that very instance, lost his kingship.
This makes it seem like God is a, "Because I said so" God or He's holding a big stick over us and we're quivering fear. In the human realm, this can happen because we are not perfect like God is. But God sincerely has our best interests at hearts - He blesses and disciplines us with the sole purpose of molding us more into his character.
If more people had Godly character, well,...... that would be heaven.
We ought to obey God rather than men. Acts 5:29
Do you struggle with obedience to anyone, to God? Do you have a hard time submitting?
