We cannot obey on our own terms

True obedience requires total submission and allows for no compromises. How do you react when God asks you to do something? Most of us do not shake our fists at Him, shouting, “I won’t do it!” Instead, we usually struggle with the thought for a while. Sometimes we argue and list all the reasons why it is not possible. Or, like Jonah, we may just run in the opposite direction. But there is another response, one so subtle that we sometimes don’t even realize it is disobedience. Replacing God’s plan with our own is a way of appearing obedient on the outside while actually dodging what God wants from us. King Saul responded to the divine command given to him in just this way. Keeping a few animals alive to offer as sacrifices to the Lord seemed more logical than full obedience—in Saul’s mind, perhaps it even glorified God more. From the outside, his sin is obvious. But we, too, make similar substitutions without realizing it. Perhaps God is calling you to serve in a certain way, but out of fear, you settle for a less demanding commitment. Sometimes we have mixed our own plans with God’s plans so much that we can no longer tell the difference between them.