Obedience is a path of life one chooses to take, in accordance to the relationship he has with the Creator. The disobedience to the clear command of God cost the mankind, and they were expelled from the abode they shared in His garden. The life of Jesus is the absolute manifestation of perfect obedience to the will of the Father, that the mankind should imitate and follow. Though the immediate response to the father’s request was one of blatant rebellion, when regret and repentance proceeded, he complied with the command of his father, the same day: “‘I don't want to,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.” (Mt 21:29) Disobedience and rebellion may be the impulses in response to the words of command, but having been taught by Jesus, we should cultivate the habit of verifying our attitudes and actions against His own example of obedience, as hailed by Paul: “Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2:8) May the tree He was nailed on in Calvary, remind us of the rebellion of the first-parent’s eating of the forbidden tree and disobedience, and move us to careful compliance with the commands of God.

Abba, Thank You for inviting us to the path of obedience. Let Your Spirit alert us of our habitual negligence of Your commands, and lead us to the path of repentance and obedience, In Jesus’ Most Exalted name, Amen.