“If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land” (Isa 1:19; NKJV). What a promise, obey God and be blessed. Let’s look at a few obedient people in the Bible. God told Abraham to leave his home and travel thousands of miles to Canaan and that he would give rise to a great nation and be blessed (Gen 12:1-5). Abraham obeyed and all of God’s promises came to be. From Abraham came the people of Israel and Jesus Christ. King David started out as a lowly shepherd boy but God chose him to be king of Israel (1 Sam 16:12-13). David was not perfect but he walked in obedience to God and was perhaps the mightiest king of Israel.

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul persecuted the early church (Acts 7:58; 8:3) but God had a plan for him. God got Paul’s attention in a dramatic encounter (Acts 9:3-19) and he went on in obedience to play a major role in establishing the early church, writing a significant portion of the New Testament. Jesus demonstrated the ultimate act of obedience to his heavenly Father, dying on a cross so we could be forgiven and have salvation (Phil 2:8).

As we walk in obedience to God’s word we too will be blessed (Luke 11:28). The apostle John quoted Jesus saying that as we keep on obeying God’s word both he and the Father would make their home with us (John 14:23). When, in obedience to God, we ask Jesus to be Lord of our lives (Rom 19:9-10) he comes to live in us and give us eternal life (John 8:51). Wow! who would not want to walk in absolute obedience to our heavenly Father?