Simple Obedience

I want to look at an aspect of the wedding in Cana that is often overlooked. Christ’s mother, Mary, saw that the wine had run out. She directed the servants to her Son and said, “Do whatever he tells you” (John 2:5, ESV). The King James Version renders her instruction more powerfully: “Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”

For many of us, the filling of God’s Spirit may take place in our prayer closet or within our circle of fellowship. Many Christians will be filled, however, only as they begin to obey God’s clear commands in earnest. 

I’m convinced the hang-up constraining many believers is a casual attitude toward God’s Word and his voice in their hearts. By neglecting his direction for their lives, especially regarding his holy purposes, they are easily robbed of freedom and confidence.

Years ago, I was speaking with a young, single Christian man who told me he had decided to move in with an unmarried couple who were living together. I challenged him, saying, “That doesn’t sound like a very healthy environment for you.” He answered, in effect, “I feel like it’s a safe situation. I don’t think God will be upset with me for doing it.” He said this not in faith, as though he believed it, but as if he were a teenager sneaking out of the house.

Eventually, the unmarried couple broke up, and soon the Christian young man became romantically involved with the woman, sexually entangled in a troubled relationship. I tell this story not with judgment but as a simple illustration: The best way to be filled with God’s Spirit is simply to heed his voice and obey his commands. Doing so provides us with peace, safety, and joy. It allows us to speak for God with authority. As Mary told the servants at the wedding, “Whatever he tells you to do, do it!”

We may run to the altar seeking the wine of God’s Spirit, but the answer for many lies in simple obedience.