Radical obedience!

God has called us to obedience, complete, radical obedience. He wants us too be obedient in what we say and how we live.

When Jacob had finally come to the end of running and had no where else to go, he had too surrender too God everything he had been holding onto, God demanded that Jacob make the change he had been wrestling with Him over for years.

God’s word says this:

“God said to Jacob, “Get up! Go to Bethel and settle there. Build an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” So Jacob said to his family and all who were with him, “Get rid of the foreign gods that are among you. Purify yourselves and change your clothes. We must get up and go to Bethel. I will build an altar there to the God who answered me in my day of distress. He has been with me everywhere I have gone.” Then they gave Jacob all their foreign gods and their earrings, and Jacob hid them under the oak near Shechem. When they set out, a terror from God came over the cities around them, and they did not pursue Jacob’s sons. So Jacob and all who were with him came to Luz (that is, Bethel ) in the land of Canaan. Jacob built an altar there and called the place El-bethel because it was there that God had revealed himself to him when he was fleeing from his brother.”

Genesis 35:1-7 CSB

God told Jacob, get up , go! Jacob had been doing things his way for 90 years, he knew he could no longer do so, he removed the idols his family held onto, he told them to purify themselves and change their garments, (in scripture this means too change your character) God says we are a new creation, He changes our character, but we must let Him work in us!

Notice also that scripture tells us they got rid of their foreign gods and earrings. Earrings? I have thought about this, why put that in there? I believe that God is saying don’t hold onto even the smallest part of our past, get rid of everything that can cause you to stumble, let go of it and follow me.

He calls us too be radically obedient no matter what, and holding onto things that we value more than obedience to Him, is disobedience.

Has God called you too go? Has God told you too purify yourself and change your garments? Are you holding onto something small that God has said it is time too let go of?

Jacobs fear of others finally turned to faith in God when he ran out of options, he says that “ God has been with me everywhere I have gone”. Jacob let go of his past, his fear and submitted to God and God changed his name to Israel.

God has been with you and I everywhere we have been, it is time we lay aside our fears, and walk in faith, it is time we bury our idols and walk with God , wholeheartedly, it is time we walk in the newness of life God has given us as He is changing our character.

God’s word says;

“But that is not how you came to know Christ, assuming you heard about him and were taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, to take off your former way of life, the old self that is corrupted by deceitful desires,

and to put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.” Ephesians 4:20-22, 24 CSB

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every hindrance and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith. For the joy that lay before him, he endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Hebrews 12:1-2 CSB