Hebrews 5:8-9 -- On Obedience

"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered;
And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;"
Hebrews 5:8-9


Though we often chafe against it, the principle of obedience is huge and important. Christ learned obedience through the things that he suffered in his life, and so do we. Lessons like that can be easier or harder, but not all of them can be avoided entirely. No matter how much we trust God that something is inappropriate or forbidden, sometimes we have to have a personal lesson to realize the reasons behind it, or to understand why the things that God asks us individually are different than the things that God asks all of us collectively. As always we should consider ourselves part of the rule before searching for exceptions, but I mean things like divorce, childlessness, illness, debilitation, etc. ... those are some of the significant things that God asks individuals to suffer, and which have to be understood on an individual level.

One thing that seems cool is that Christ learned this way and then as we read here, he turned around after he was perfected and he teaches this way as well. Tried and true methods, individual attention. :) We have the best teacher in the universe to help us understand what we are going through and why we need to change and learn and obey... so that God can lead us in the right way, and help us find peace. So much of our suffering in this life is because we walk away when God invites us to come to him and be saved, but we don't want to... we want to do things *our* way instead, and when it turns out wrong and doesn't lead us to peace and happiness we're surprised, and even worse, we often blame God.

Today, let's learn obedience, and follow our Savior who wants with all of his universe-encompassing heart to help us. Let's try to get over ourselves and accept that help by learning some humility and obedience. :)