Who Will You Obey?

HAPPILY MARRIED : WEEK 2 | OBEDIENCE REQUIRED

HOW TO USE THIS DEVOTIONAL

If you're married: We encourage you to complete these devotionals together whenever possible. Read the Scripture together. Talk honestly with one another. Pray together. The goal isn't to evaluate your spouse, but to allow God's Word to evaluate and shape you.

 

If you're single: These devotionals are for you too. Marriage reveals truths about Christ, His Church, sacrificial love, faithfulness, service, and submission that every believer needs. Use this time to grow in Christ, examine your own character, and develop a biblical understanding of marriage whether marriage is part of your future or not.

 

DAY 1 | GOD'S DESIGN

Who Will You Obey?

READ

Genesis 2:15–17; Genesis 3:1–7

“And the LORD God commanded the man... ‘you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.’”

Genesis 2:16–17

 

THE TRUTH

Last week we looked at the roles God established in creation.

Men: Serve & Guard.

Women: Help & Complement.

But underneath both roles is another responsibility that belongs equally to every man and woman:

OBEY GOD.

Before Eve was created, God gave Adam a command.

There was a tree from which he must not eat.

Later, when the serpent spoke to Eve, she knew the command too.

Neither could claim ignorance.

They knew what God said.

And they chose something else.

That's the heart of disobedience.

It isn't always that we don't know what God wants. Often, we know exactly what God has said but something else becomes more desirable to us.

So every day we face the same fundamental question Adam and Eve faced:

Will I obey the desires of my flesh or the will and Word of God?

That question affects every relationship we have.

God says forgive, but bitterness feels justified.

God says serve, but selfishness feels easier.

God says speak truth, but dishonesty avoids the consequences.

God says remain faithful, but temptation promises satisfaction.

God says pursue holiness, but compromise offers immediate pleasure.

God says obey Me, while our hearts whisper:

I want something else.

Adam and Eve discovered that disobedience always produces death.

Physical death eventually came, but other things began dying immediately.

Trust was damaged.

Intimacy was damaged.

Purpose was distorted.

Shame entered.

Blame began.

Their relationship with God was broken, and their relationship with one another suffered with it.

The same pattern continues in our relationships.

Sin brings death to trust, loyalty, fidelity, intimacy, purpose, unity, and blessing.

That's why obedience isn't merely an individual issue when you're married.

When two become one flesh, my obedience affects us.

My private compromises don't remain private.

My decisions affect my spouse.

My pursuit of Jesus affects my spouse.

My refusal to follow Jesus affects my spouse.

And this is why the most important question you can ask about your marriage isn't simply: “Are we happy?” It's: “Are we obeying God?”

Because before we can faithfully serve, guard, help, complement, love, care, protect, provide, lead, or pursue one another, we must first decide: Jesus, I will obey You.

 

REFLECT

1. Where in your life do you already know what God says, but find yourself struggling to obey Him?
2. What tends to compete most strongly for your obedience: comfort, pleasure, fear, approval, control, pride, your own desires, or the desires of someone you love?
3. Consider this statement: “My disobedience never affects only me.” Where have you seen that prove true in your relationships?

 

A HAPPILY MARRIED REMINDER

It's much easier to identify where your spouse isn't obeying God than to confront your own disobedience.

Today, don't ask: “Where does my spouse need to obey?”

Ask: “Jesus, where am I refusing to obey You?”

 

TOGETHER OR INDIVIDUALLY

IF YOU'RE MARRIED

Take turns answering this question:

“Where do I sense God calling me toward greater obedience right now?”

 

After each person shares, ask: “How can I help you pursue obedience in that area?”

Then listen.

Marriage should never become a place where we help one another justify disobedience.

It should become a relationship where we lovingly help one another follow Jesus.

 

IF YOU'RE SINGLE

Ask yourself: Who or what has the greatest influence over my obedience to God?

Consider your friendships, dating relationships, family, coworkers, entertainment, desires, and ambitions.

Are there relationships in your life that strengthen your obedience to Jesus?

Are there relationships that regularly pull you toward compromise?

Godly relationships don't simply make us feel accepted.

They help us follow Jesus.

 

FROM THE MARRIAGE CREED

“I will be faithful to my spouse by first remaining faithful to Christ. In my pursuit of Him I will be able to strengthen my devotion to my spouse.”

 

There is an intentional order to that statement.

Faithful to Christ first. Then faithful to one another.

The healthiest thing you can bring into any relationship is a heart fully surrendered to Jesus. 

Your spouse cannot become the ultimate authority over your life.

Your future spouse cannot become the ultimate authority over your life.

Your feelings cannot become the ultimate authority over your life.

Jesus is Lord.

And sometimes faithfulness to Jesus means saying no to something you want, something your spouse wants, or something everyone around you says is acceptable because God has said otherwise.

 

RESPOND

TODAY I WILL...

Ask God to identify one area of delayed, partial, or outright disobedience in your life.

Don't begin by making excuses for it. Name it.

God, I know You have called me to:

 

But I have been choosing:

 

Today, obedience will look like:

 

Then take the next step. Not tomorrow. Today.

 

PRAY

Father, You are good, and Your commands are good.

Forgive me for the times I know what You have said but still choose my own desires over Your will.

Show me where my heart is divided.

Reveal where comfort, pleasure, fear, pride, control, or the approval of others has become more important to me than obedience to You.

Give me the courage to obey even when obedience is difficult.

For those who are married, help us become spouses who encourage one another toward You rather than toward compromise. Never allow our desire to please each other to become greater than our desire to please You.

For those who are single, surround them with relationships that strengthen their obedience to Christ, and give them wisdom to recognize relationships that continually lead them away from You.

Jesus, You are Lord.

Before I serve, guard, help, complement, lead, love, protect, provide, or pursue anyone else, teach me to obey You.

May my relationships bring You glory because my heart belongs first to You.

Amen.

 

TOMORROW

Adam and Eve knew what God commanded and chose something else.

Another husband would eventually make the same mistake, this time choosing accommodation within his marriage over obedience to God's covenant.

And it nearly cost him his life.

Tomorrow: Moses & Zipporah — When Compromise Becomes Disobedience.