Is There a Promise of Blessing and Ease Tied to Obedience?

I saw a post on Facebook that said, “Obedience brings blessings; disobedience brings conflict!”  I often listen for partial or twisted “facts” related to a Christian walk.  This statement sounds right at first glance, but then I was struck with the following.

In our immaturity, we may misinterpret the responses of others and difficult circumstances.  This statement can be warped and twisted to a point, that for a time, it describes both kingdoms; darkness and light.  Does that last statement hit you the wrong way?  Let me explain further.  

Choosing a Counter Cultural Context

When we live in the ways of the Lord, or the Kingdom of Light, we choose to live in a counter cultural way.  This can bring about awkwardness and conflict as we live out our daily lives in a world’s context and perspective that doesn’t understand or agree with our behaviors, choices, and values.  This conflict can create enough distress for some to question their faith.

Obedience to the Lord can bring the blessing of discipline and preparation (Proverbs 3:11-12; Hebrews 12:5-11).  Be sure that these will not feel pleasant in the moment, but they will indeed be a blessing of God.  Blessing and favor are not always accompanied with a life of ease and excess finances.  That line of thought is married to a prosperity gospel.  In actuality, following Christ is costly.  The Bible says so; see Matthew 10:38, Luke 9:23, and 1 Peter 2:21.

Living lives which are culturally acceptable creates more “ease” in the day to day, and might even produce temporary blessings in the form of man’s favor and affluence.  The catch is this, in the kingdom of darkness, selfishness is a stronghold and anything that stands in the way of self-centeredness/egocentrism is a threat.  (Sidenote, that is why we are seeing such a rise in narcissistic behaviors.)  So, while you might be the prize today, tomorrow could be an entirely different scenario because you no longer have value; in other words, your usefulness has been consumed.  As such, you become disposable.

In God’s Kingdom, you had value without first offering anything.  Notice I didn’t say, “…anything of worth.”  I said “anything”.  God determines value, and in His sovereignty, He establishes blessing and favor however He chooses to bestow it.

He Values You

He values you.  You were created for His pleasure to bring Him glory (Philippians 2:13, Revelation 4:11). He desires a relationship with you.  However, a relationship with God does not guarantee peace.  Simply following God will create conflict.  Again, the Bible told us to expect this; and Jesus did not avoid conflict during His time on Earth.  See Matthew 10:34-37.

In a world where there is conflict between opposing, yet unequal spiritual forces, we will continue to experience unrest and upheaval even when we are being obedient to the Lord.  Think about it.  Christ’s crucifixion was brought about by conflict.  Was He being obedient to the Father?  Yes, absolutely He was.  Christ obtained the reward of being able to be reconciled to those that receive the gift of His Perfect Sacrifice on our behalf, but that was only after enduring conflict and torture unto death.

Conversely, obeying merely for the benefit of the blessing is an abuse of the relationship.  The minute your motivation becomes, “What’s in it for me?” we have a heart problem.

Obedience and Hardship

So, do we abandon obedience because of hardship?  Can we judge hardship or all events of discord by attributing fault to all parties?  No, to choose one of the above is neither prudent nor Biblical.

We obey out of submission and love.  We choose to believe that God is sovereign over all and that His blessings are bestowed upon those He loves without performance benchmarks or humanity’s merit system.

So, yes, in an overly simplified way, I can understand the sentiment, “Obedience brings blessings and disobedience conflicts.”  However, with additional perspective, obedience also brings about the testing of our faith so that we may be made complete.  Don’t be surprised if you find yourself in the middle of conflict, undesired as it may be, while God is walking with you to your completion.