READ: Romans 5:15-19
“…every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry…” – Philippians 4:12
The apostle Paul was intent on obeying the Lord. If the instruction was hunger, he was prepared for it; if the instruction was fullness, he would obey!
The consequence of obeying or disobeying one little instruction can be so great that no sacrifice could ever compensate for the act of disobedience.
Think about Jesus, who by one act of obedience has rescued millions from the throes of Hell. There is nothing like obedience in the eyes of God. To obey is better than to sacrifice. This is the most important truth you must learn about obedience.
I remember the story of an army lieutenant who received orders to fire his artillery at the enemy. As his soldiers prepared to fire, the radio operator had a message from the general asking the lieutenant to hold his fire. Something had changed: the enemy position had now been occupied by his own troops. The lieutenant was so zealous to fight that he did not listen to the radio operator, but rather opened fire and pounded his own soldiers.
God is like the army general, who sees the whole picture. He knows when to fire and when not to fire; He knows when to sacrifice and when not to. I have learnt that to obey is better than to sacrifice. God has sometimes asked us not to do things that we habitually do. Could it be that there will be times that it is more important not to preach, than it is to preach because that is what God says?