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Obedience Greater than Sacrifice

Most Christians have heard a time or two before that we are supposed to give our all and our best to God. This can be rooted in verses like Colossians 3:17 or 1 Corinthians 10:31, which command us to do everything as if we are doing it solely for the Lord. This would imply that we are doing above and beyond the expectations of humans. The holy God that we serve is worth more than the results that we give to fellow fallen human beings. And I do not disagree. But, always striving to do the best that we know how to will get dangerous. With the mindset that everything we do needs to be at a level that is inhumane will lead to high expectations of self and always follow with self-disappointment. This also often leads to perfectionism. This perfectionism, striving that everything will be perfect, leads many to shut down and miss opportunities to serve because they are scared that it will not meet their own expectations or the expectations of others.

On the other hand, there are those who understand that when we are called to give God glory, that does not always mean perfection. We are called to make a joyful noise to the lord in worship (Psalm 100, Psalm 150, Psalm 66:1, Psalm 98:4, Psalm 95:1-2, etc.). God does not only want to hear the prettiest voices when it comes to singing in church, nor does he expect the perfect choreography when dancing for the Lord. If serving in childcare, the room does not always have to be perfectly clean. When homeschooling children, the subject matter does not have to be perfectly memorized. When working in a job, God does not require that everyone always gets along perfectly. God knows that we are humans, and it is impossible for us to live a perfect lifestyle. He just wants us to honor Him with the choices that we do make based on the completely imperfect choices made by past us and people in our lives. In fact, the imperfection in our lives can be a reminder that we cannot do anything well in life WITHOUT God Himself.

Both of these “extremes” need to be held together. We are to give God glory in our lives by striving to do our best and honor Him with what we are creating. But if it is not perfect that is okay. It is a great reminder that God, when talking to the Israelites in the Old Testament, that He told them that obedience is greater than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22). Similar to how we are trying to sacrifice our time and energy to create the best product for God, He cares more about whether we are obeying Him and His Word in our lives. So, the next time you find yourself not choosing to worship or serve because you are concerned that you are not going to be perfect, remember that God values your service more than your perfection.

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