11/15/2020 - Thankful for Unity - Philippians 2:12-17

I think we all understand that obey is not a welcomed concept today. This four-letter word is rejected by most unless it’s the idea that one would obey only himself. Let’s face it – it’s cool to be rebellious. This is why many of us as teenagers disagreed with authority. I seriously doubt if anyone woke up this morning and said, “God teach me to obey. I pray that my boss would give me lots of things to obey.” Kids don’t wake up in the morning and say, “I can’t wait to be obedient to mom and dad!” You know what kind of conversation never happens? The one that goes like this – “What do you love?" "I love to obey! I’m such an obedient person and I just can’t wait to be told what to do. I study all the verses on obedience because they are my favorites!”
 

Now those who have taken a Bible class or two may be thinking – “I wonder what the word obey means in the Greek? It can’t simply mean do what you’re told!” They are right. It actually means to keep your mouth shut and do what you’re told…sorry about that. Pretty sure that's not what most want to hear. Indeed, this is a bitter pill for us all to swallow and here’s why – we think we are smarter than everyone else. We think we are better than everyone and we think we see ourselves more clearly than they see themselves. Social psychologists call this the “self-serving bias" and it states that we all walk around thinking that we are better than we really are. There are a number of humorous studies that expose this. For example, when asked, 85% of Americans think they are better looking than average. Now statistically speaking this is problematic. It gets better. When Americans are told about the self-serving bias, over 90% say that it’s true for other people, but not them.
 

This is the reason we need to listen to those who care for us in love. It starts with God's voice. His instruction gives direction. It’s also important to surround yourself with people who will tell you what’s happening in your life as they observe it. One of the negative impacts of quarantine is that some folks are no longer in community. When you’re not in community there’s no accountability in your life. We complain, argue and grumble because we lose sight of the things that are most important. Isn't it great that we always have a guide to get us where we need to be? The path forward is through obedience to God's Word.