Tag: openness

Bible 40 Themes 05 Obedience

Obedience isn’t always dramatic. It rarely makes headlines. More often, it’s quiet, costly, and unseen. In 1 Samuel 15, Saul had won a victory, yet he’d adjusted God’s command to suit his own judgement. He kept what looked valuable and offered sacrifice as a spiritual covering for partial obedience. Samuel’s words cut through the smoke of religious performance: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.”

There’s something in us that prefers sacrifice to obedience. Sacrifice can feel impressive; it’s visible, measurable, even public. Obedience, though, is humbler. It means trusting that God’s way is wiser than our instincts. It means surrendering the part of the command we’d rather reinterpret. Saul’s mistake wasn’t outright rebellion in his own eyes, it was selective obedience. He did much of what God asked, but not all. Yet love that edits God’s voice is no longer love rooted in trust.

“To obey is better than sacrifice” reminds us that God desires hearts aligned with him, not gestures designed to compensate for disobedience. We can serve tirelessly, give generously, sing passionately, and still avoid the simple, searching call to heed his voice in the everyday. Obedience might mean forgiving when resentment feels justified, telling the truth when silence would protect us, choosing integrity when compromise would be easier.

Obedience flows from relationship. Samuel speaks of obeying the Lord, not merely obeying a rule. The invitation is personal. God isn’t hungry for ritual; he longs for trust. When we obey, we declare that his character is good, his wisdom reliable, his purposes kinder than our own plans. That kind of obedience shapes us quietly over time. It forms humility, deepens faith, and anchors our lives in something steadier than impulse.

In a world impressed by spectacle, God still listens for the softer sound of a willing heart. Not grand offerings, but faithful footsteps. Not impressive sacrifice, but attentive love.

This is one of a series of posts outlining 40 themes of the Bible. Previous Next

From Calling to Witness

There are seasons when hope arrives quietly, almost unnoticed, like the first green shoots after a long winter. We speak of God doing new things, yet we often expect clarity and momentum before we trust. Scripture invites us into a gentler posture of attentiveness.

Isaiah 43:19 whispers promise into dry places, see, I am doing a new thing, now it springs up, do you not perceive it, while Hosea 10:12 urges us to break up unploughed ground and seek the Lord until righteousness falls like rain. Together they call us to watchfulness, to faithful openness, to the slow work of soil being turned and grace already moving beneath the surface.

Isaiah 49:1–7 gives voice to the ache many carry, a sense of calling without visible fruit, labour poured out with little to show. The servant speaks honestly of frustration, yet still trusts that my reward is with the Lord. What feels hidden or wasted is held within a larger purpose, a calling that widens from restoring what is familiar to becoming a light to the nations. God’s work is rarely as small as we fear.

Psalm 40:1–12 captures the texture of lived faith. The psalmist waits patiently, cries out, and is heard. God lifts them from the pit and sets their feet on firm ground. Praise rises, not as performance, but as a life reshaped from within. Obedience matters more than sacrifice, because God’s law is written on the heart. Gratitude for past rescue sits alongside honest prayer for mercy, forgiveness, and help, reminding us that trust is both tender and resilient.

Paul opens his letter in 1 Corinthians 1:1–9 by speaking grace over a fragile community. They are called, gifted, and held, not because they are strong, but because God is faithful. Their future rests not on competence, but on the promise that God will sustain them to the end. It’s a reassurance for every imperfect believer who keeps turning up with open hands.

In John 1:29–42, everything turns on encounter. John the Baptist points beyond himself to Jesus, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Two disciples follow, hesitant yet curious, and hear the simple invitation, come and see. They stay, they listen, they are changed, and witness begins to ripple outward, one life quietly touching another.

Across these readings runs a shared rhythm of calling before clarity, waiting before fruit, faithfulness before recognition. God works through what feels small, hidden, or unfinished. If we live with expectancy, offering our daily yes, we may discover that we’re already standing within God’s new thing, grace unfolding gently, faithfully, and far beyond what we can yet perceive.

Note: This devotional is based on worship I led at Horden Salvation Army on Sunday 18 January 2026, you can see my full notes by clicking here.

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There’s so much advertising on the Internet that, at times, it can become very distracting and intrusive. To reduce the amount that can overwhelm, I personally use an ad-blocker in my browser, which gives me a generally ad-free experience – but that’s a whole new discussion for another post.

You may have seen the above logo (or similar) on my blog, it appears in the left-hand column a little way down. By using this icon on my website I’m stating that I’m opposed to the use of corporate advertising on blogs and that I feel the use of corporate advertising on blogs devalues the medium; Similarly, I don’t accept money (or goods in kind) in return for anything I publish.

You will never see advertising on this site because I’m opposed to widespread advertising impacting every aspect of our existence; therefore, I’m drawing a line around this ‘personal’ space (deeming it inappropriate for advertising).

What I write is 100% my choice, and I will always seek to be as open and honest as I can. Be assured that my endorsement of anything (whether it’s a product, a book, a piece of art, an idea) comes directly from me and is not influenced by any outside person or organisation.

This is a helpful quote with which to conclude: If we, as a society, lose our voice completely, and corporations start doing all the talking, then we’ll be utterly lost. To some degree, this has already happened. Our ability to envision a future collectively has already been severely compromised. Kalle Lasn

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