What Happens When We Obey God?

Blog Series

Helpful Tips for Saving Yourself from Trouble

It is said that you cannot break the laws of God. You can only break yourself against them when you violate them. In this series we are looking at some of the simple and clear “laws of God” – that is to say, “biblical principles” – that we must follow if we do not want to bring very negative cause-effect consequences into our lives.

Obedience Trials

My wife and I went to a professional dog show some years ago and, in observing the relationship between man and dog, received instruction on the relationship between God and man and on the rewards of obedience.

The obedience trials took place on a large, square green of closely mowed grass where the dogs were put through a number of obedience trials, which included:

1. One at a time, the dogs had to start, stop, change directions, sit, stay, and return to their master, following a prescribed course that took them all over the lawn, without any verbal commands… only hand signals.
2. Out of a pile of wooden dumbbells, which were each identical to one another except for their identification numbers, the dogs had to select the one wooden dumbbell which their master had handled.
3. On command, the dogs had to jump back and forth over a high, solid wooden hurdle, again, only hand signs were used.
4. The dogs were required to sit in the center of the lawn and upon being told to “stay,” were required to remain there for three minutes while their trainer was out of sight in a tent.

A contrast in obedience

Two dogs in particular stood out. One was a large white German Shepherd. He was an eager, grinning, tongue-lolling, fun-loving dog, but not fully trained. While enduring the “sit-stay” command, he spied a rabbit hopping leisurely around the back edge of the lawn. The large, well-muscled paragon of canine virtue began trembling like a white Jello statue, eyes riveted in utter absorption on this rodent treasure.

As though deliberately baiting him, the rabbit began cavorting playfully around the base of a mesquite bush, gamboling about in utter ecstasy under the inflamed scrutiny of the shepherd.

One final tantalizing hop was more than the white powder keg could endure, and, as though shot out of a cannon, the shepherd exploded in the direction of the rabbit.

Both disappeared quickly into the bush, not to be seen in public again. While entertaining to watch, the dog’s “display of obedience” was a failure, an embarrassment to its owner. Untrained, it did not yet attain to that marvel of harmony and communication that exists between skillful trainer and well-trained dog.

In contrast to the white German Shepherd was a glorious, silky, Golden Retriever. The retriever’s excellence was as great as the shepherd’s failure. Obedience to every command was instantaneous and perfect. Before, during, and after each command, the eyes of the Golden were, rather than roaming the horizon for signs of life, fixed devotedly… no, adoringly… on the young girl who was its owner and trainer. After each drill the dog would return to her side, and with head up, stare into her eyes for the next command.

After all the dogs had gone through the trials, all the trainers and canines lined up for the awards. Fourth prize went to a Springer Spaniel, third to a German Shepherd, second to a Black Lab. All during this time, the Golden Retriever sat obediently beside its master, looking up into her eyes.

Finally, first prize went to this marvelous dog and the girl who trained it. A polite ripple of applause washed through the audience. Then crowd and contestants began to disperse.

As they did, a marvelous thing happened.

The girl wheeled to face her dog, squealed with delight, and began clapping her hands together excitedly. At this, the dog lunged up toward the girl’s face in a desperate attempt to lick her in the mouth. She laughed and pushed him back. He tried again. She began running toward her car, laughing, clapping in unbridled joy as her dog barked and jumped and circled around her all the way, sharing completely in her joy.

Chills played up and down my spine as I watched in undisguised admiration, the joy, the intimacy, the trust, the devotion, and adoration that flowed between dog and girl.

The intelligence, athletic ability, courage, and personality latent within this dog was developed to a higher degree, and displayed more effectively, than any other dog I have ever seen. I thought, “this is the highest good to which I have ever seen canine life elevated.” It was a marvel. A tribute to himself and its master.

But everyone knew that the skill, intelligence, insight, patience, and personality of the owner were also on display. A lesser trainer could not have gotten so much from her charge. Glory to the dog! Glory to the owner!

Had that dog been left to its own world, it would have been just a dog, an ignorant slave of its basic instincts to eat, run and bark.

There were likely times in the training process when the dog was unhappy. It likely wanted to quit, to run away. There were likely times when the owner wondered if the dog would ever learn. Before the training process was completed, the dog might gladly have been dismissed. But after the training process, the dog was happier and more fulfilled at its master’s side than anywhere else in the world. The dog received that which it most wanted out of life from its relationship with its master.

Conclusion

So, in the Great Obedience Trial of life, are we Golden Retrievers, or are we white German Shepherds? Are we out in the hinterlands chasing the rabbits of this world, or are we frolicking with our Master in the joy of obedience? The decision is ours, to obey and enjoy God, or – as we saw last week – to disobey and bring on ourselves the cause/effect consequences of sin, as well as the discipline of our loving heavenly Father?

• In John 15:10-11 we read, “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”
• In Psalm 1:1-3 we read, “How blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked… but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by the streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does he prospers.”

If we believe that obedience is the shortest distance between us and the life we want, we obey. When we disobey, it is because we don’t believe obedience will bring us the greatest happiness. Obedience is not nearly as hard when we become persuaded that it is not only for God’s glory, but also for our good.

In case you’re new here

The entire “Helpful Tips for Saving Yourself from Trouble” series is in the archives, beginning with the first post on July 26, 2022. As the series continues, each succeeding post will be added to and available in the blog archives.

Help spread the message, “Like” my Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/maxanders.author and invite your friends to do the same. I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at max@maxanders.com. I try to answer all emails, but, if not, I may address in future blogs the questions/issues you raise.