I had a nice talk with Heavenly Father this morning. I expressed my gratitude for the many blessings He has given me, including my trials, and I talked a lot about the challenges I am facing, the weaknesses I am struggling with, and my desire to do all that He asks, to the best of my abilities. I let Him know that I need him in my life to share with me His wisdom, patience, love and strength. I am looking for a little grace to get me through the tough times.
Today I am studying Genesis Ch 7. One verse really stood out to me: "And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him." (Gen. 7:5)
I think one reason it stood out was because it is almost exactly the same as the last verse in Genesis 6:22. Why would the Lord repeat these verses in such close proximity to the other? He has a reason for everything he does, in fact, he has said that "...all things shall work together for your good..." (D&C 90:24). So how can these verses work together for my good?
I checked the footnotes for both verses and footnote a for Gen 6:22 refers to the Topical Guide subject of Obedience. In a spiritual sense, obedience is doing God's will. When we obey we are saying that we believe that God has a better plan for us than we have for ourselves.
What drives a person to be obedient?
Survival/Salvation
In Noah's case, his survival, and that of his family, was dependent on his obedience to the commandments that the Lord had given him. Noah was commanded to build an ark according to the instructions the Lord would give him, and he did, and because of his obedience he and his family were saved from the flood.
We have been taught that those who do not keep the commandments cannot be saved, (D&C 18:46; D&C 25:15; D&C 56:2) and the connection between obedience and our salvation is made clear in Matt 7:21: "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven". It is through obedience that we ensure our salvation.
Love
Noah was also commanded to preach repentance to the people, which he did. What motivated him to follow this commandment, even though his life was threatened? Could it be that love was behind his desire to obey?
Love is a powerful motivator, just think about all the things you do for other people because you love them. The scriptures describe this love = keep the commandments connection: "That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice" (Deut. 30:20) and "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). Noah must have loved the Lord very much to do all that the Lord commanded him, even if it meant his own life was in jeopardy.
Blessings
Knowing that by obeying we are entitled to certain blessings might motivate someone to obey. How it works: "When we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated" (D&C 130:21)
Some of my favorites blessings:
"If the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them" (1 Ne 17:3)
"Every soul who obeys my voice shall see my face and know that I am" (D&C 93:1)
"Commandments are given so that we may understand the Lord’s will" D&C 82:8
I think the attitude by which we approach obedience is important. Preaching to the wicked and building an ark was no small task, but there is no record of Noah ever complaining, just that he called upon the Lord and shared his concerns (Moses 8:26). Noah's attitude must have been similar to Nephi's "I will go and do" (1 Ne 3:7) and "be immovable in keeping the commandments" (1 Ne 2:10). Or Jacob's: "But, notwithstanding the greatness of the task, I must do according to the strict commands of God, and tell you concerning your wickedness and abominations, in the presence of the pure in heart, and the broken heart, and under the glance of the piercing eye of the Almighty God" (Jacob 2:10). What a great example.
Why Obey?
Studying obedience and Noah's example helped me put things in perspective. I need to do my part and be obedient so that the Lord can do his part and bless me with the things I need to accomplish the task. If I truly believe that God has a better plan for me, then I will want to be obedient to reap the rewards. I really like this quote by Dietrich Bonhoffer: "Only he who believes is obedient. Only he who is obedient, believes." I choose to believe!
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