Tamara Henion Photography

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Gray area. Is there such a thing when it comes to our walk with the Lord? Does Scripture indicate that we have some cushion between obedience and disobedience? Or, does God expect us to do what He says, period? Does obedience leave room for wiggling?  The Lord says in Philippians to think on things that are true,  where does, dose that leave room for filling our eyes, minds and hearts with fiction? Samuel told the self-seeking Saul, Samuel 15:22, Then Samuel said: Does the LORD take pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? Look: to obey is better than sacrifice, to pay attention is better than the fat of rams.   Parents, teachers and coaches tell children every day to obey.  And what kind of obedience do we expect?  I know in my house, in my classroom, I expect obedience to be complete- for partial obedience isn’t obedience at all, is it? 

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You see, disobedience is sin. To walk in obedience to the Lord is to obey.

Obey or Disobey?

Sin isn’t a gray area. God didn’t somehow overlook or omit anything in His Word. No, He’s complete. He’s clear. WE either are in obedience or we are not. One step out of obedience to Him IS sin. There’s one single definitive  line obey:disobey. Once we step out of the light, where God is, we’re in the dark no matter how far out we stepped. It IS dark, there is immediate separation from God from obedience to disobedience; it doesn’t get darker and we don’t become more separated:

I John 1:5- 6

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light,

and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him

and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;…

I love that God didn’t orchestrate any gray area in obeying Him. Can you imagine what stipulations, what if, ands and buts we’d come up with? Of course you can! So can I.

The truth is, there’s less than 1/16″ distance between where I was writing the first section and the second in this post. That’s a  minute move on my part, but look how far off the mark I was. Nothing I wrote was intelligible, yet I was acting in  the very same I would have if I had been in the right place… but I wasn’t.

Step a little to one side or the other of what God tells us, and we too  are way off the mark —and in total darkness.  Our life renders us separated from God and our lives intelligible as a Christian to anyone watching.  That’s a travesty.

So, there’s the choice: to obey or not.

From the beginning, Duck’s song didn’t sound so good, so (almost) Swan’s Song it is.

What can you hear?

~watch out for snakes

~hope those cars stay up on the road

~sure did get cold

~leaves are falling all over our water

~don’t let the fish bite you

~go around the turtles

~don’t bite floating worms

~quit crowding the rest of us

~it’s getting dark, we should leave

~wonder if we’ll be able to come back tomorrow

~look out for webbed feet eating ameba

~don’t get too wet

~you’re going the wrong way

~duck if you see crows flying above

~spit out the dead ones

~walk around the joggers

~stay off the deck-it splinters

Nope.

It was a quiet, comfortable and enjoyable evening out there with  just a quack here or there. Didn’t seem like they had a care in the world. I need to sing that (almost) Swan’s song more in my own mind and heart.   What beautiful moments I miss with all the adscititious thoughts I allow, or even conjure up, into my thoughts. Frankly, and sadly, that list of duck worries rolled onto my keyboard as easily as water off a duck’s back. 😉

A Duck’s Peace Song: (eh, really it’s Philippians 4)

6Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpassese every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally brothers, whatever is true,g whatever is honorable,  whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable — if there is any moral excellence and if there is any praise — dwell on these things. 9Do what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.