Obedience With Benefits

“Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:” (1Ti 1:5 AV)

 Somehow, we think that rules and law are made for the express purpose of domination.  This argument is the oldest of all arguments.  This argument was made to Eve by the serpent in the garden of Eden.  We get into our minds that God gives us His law for no other reason that He might be God and we his whipped subjects.  This cannot be further from the truth.  There is a benefit of the commandment.  There is a goal here.  There is a prize to be won and this prize is not a simple trophy.  The goal of the commandment is found above.  If applied and striven after, the commandment produces charity, peace of mind and heart, and real faith that cannot fail.  There are emotional and spiritual benefits to conformity to the law as seen above.  There are also physical benefits, but those are not mentioned in our text.  What we want to consider is the simple truth that living right in the in the boundaries of the word of God does have its benefits.

 When I served as a chaplain, we were instructed as to what the expectations of the position required.  One of those was to go from floor to floor, regardless of the floor, and visit with the nurse’s station.  If there were any patients the nurses felt could use a pastoral visit, we did so.  There were no exceptions.  Each floor, no matter what.  Let’s face it, there are some floors we would rather not visit.  For some, it might be the ICU or PCU.  Those who were in critical condition or those who would never be discharged in a better condition.  Others might want to avoid the behavioral health ward.  Mental or emotional disease would not be their cup of tea.  Substance abuse may not be the easiest to counsel.  Others may avoid the Maternity wing simply because they lack the emotion to connect with a new mother or father.  Whatever the case, there are certain floors a nurse or chaplain may not want to visit.  Requiring us to do so may have been uncomfortable at first.  But over time, as we were accustomed to it, the requirement changed us on the inside.  Regardless of the situation, God used us in all and every diverse opportunity.  There was the mother who almost lost her son to a drug overdose.  There was the dying patient who was estranged from his daughter.  There was the family who had lost someone to tragedy who needed prayer in the anteroom of the ER.  There was the new mother and father who received news their new baby wasn’t perfect.  And there was the young lady in the psych ward who was at the end of her rope.  Charity, a good conscience, and the faith that God could meet my need as well as the patient’s need could only come if I submitted to the commandment to go floor by floor.

 We may not like being told what to do.  We may not like being told we cannot do what we want to do.  What we need to understand and accept is that God will not tell us to do something or disallow others things just because He can.  Whether we want to admit it or not, God does have our best interests at heart.  There is a reason why He is asking you to go floor by floor.  There is a reason He is not allowing you to hit that cafeteria for a free supper until after you have made all your rounds.  It isn’t just about the glory of God.  Although that should be enough.  It isn’t just about the wayward soul who needs you.  It isn’t just about faithfulness to serve as the LORD has directed.  It is about you!  Those commandments are for the glory of God.  They are for the service of man.  But they are also for you!  Trust the LORD!  If He loved you enough to create you and die for you, then trust Him enough to give you the life He intended for you.  A life of obedience with benefits.