[Next Generation] Walking in obedience

When you think of the word “obedience,” there could be a lot of different definitions that come to mind. Some people may think of a small child being obedient to their mother or father. Some people may think of a pet being obedient to their owner.  

However, as you may have guessed, that is not the type of obedience that I am referring to here. I want to share with you a single action that I believe will change the entire trajectory of your decision-making. I want to share with you the vast importance of walking in obedience to the call that God has on your life.   

There are several passages in scripture that back up this claim, almost too many to count, so I will start with just one passage from Luke 5:27-28. 

What we see here is something so extraordinary that, at first glance, it would almost support some people’s claims of Jesus’s “insanity.” Jesus looks at a booth, where he sees the most hated man in the city of Capernaum, a tax collector who goes by the name of Levi (also known as Matthew). Jesus knew all the facts. He knew that Matthew was a sinner, and he knew that Matthew stole money from his own people, as he was a part of the Jewish community. 

However, instead of shaming him for his sin and greed (which is what I might’ve done given the circumstances), Jesus takes a different route. He looks at Matthew and says two words: “Follow me” (verse 27).   

Through these simple two words, Jesus invites Matthew into a state of reconciliation. What I love so much about this passage is the action that follows the call.   

“And leaving everything, he [Matthew] rose and followed him” (verse 28, ESV).  For probably the first time in Matthew’s life, there was no more shame, no more guilt, no more greed—only reconciliation.   

Reconciliation with Christ is found through genuine obedience to the call from Christ.   

What do I love about this concept?  Why do I express the urge for you to walk in obedience through the call of Christ?  Because, simply put, there is so much more joy in obedience to Christ than any other possession or passion this world has to offer.  Matthew left everything he thought he needed and gained everything he actually needed.  And what is that?  His name is Jesus.   

Through the short time I have been able to be part of Little Rock Baptist Collegiate Ministry (BCM) this semester, I have seen students walk closer and closer in obedience to the Lord.  Let me give you an example. 

Natalie Voss, a student at UALR and an active member of Little Rock BCM, became a believer in Jesus while she was in college. However, in her walk with Christ, Natalie had never followed through with believer’s baptism. After one of our weekly BCM services, she felt the conviction from the Lord that enough was enough.   

She came into my office as I was meeting with a student that night and said to me, “I hate to interrupt, but I want you to know that I am getting baptized tonight and want to invite everyone here to see.”  If you had received this same news, you likely would have reacted as surprised as I did.   

What I saw from Natalie that night was an unspeakable amount of joy, as all that mattered to her was that she would walk in obedience to the call the Lord had on her life. We gathered up students from the BCM and headed to the church that she has been connected to during college, Hillcrest Community Church, a supporting church in the Little Rock area, where we witnessed Natalie follow through with believer’s baptism.   

Not only do we have students walking in obedience to the call that God has on their lives, but they are also inviting others on the college campus to that same call. Many different Baptist Collegiate Ministries around the state are seeing people come to Christ each and every day.   

What else are we seeing through Baptist Collegiate Ministries in the state of Arkansas?  We are seeing more and more students serve in different areas over the summer. We have students serving at camps such as Camp Siloam and SuperSummer, we have students serving on mission in different parts of the world through Nehemiah Teams and GenSend, and we have students serving in local churches through church internship programs.  

While I may be new to the campus minister crew, I am so thankful to be a part of a group of other campus ministers who want nothing more than to see students be obedient to the Lord.   

I said at the beginning that I believe this single action will change the entire trajectory of your life.  Why do I believe that?  Let me share the second part of what we see Matthew do from this passage.  

“And Levi [Matthew] made him a great feast in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them” (Luke 5:29, ESV). 

What Matthew also experienced from that one step of obedience was so much joy in his life that he wanted nothing more than to tell everyone else about it.  He wanted to tell all of the people who were just like him, those being sinners, to experience the love of Christ.   

You do not have to let the mistakes of your past dictate the future that God has planned for you.  Live a life of walking in obedience to the Lord and I promise you, there will never be a greater joy.