Nice By Sharon Hodde MillerSample

Day Seven

The Starting Point for Obedience

Scripture: John 3:16

Jesus was not a slave to worldly influence. If anything, he was the opposite. Rather than fall all over himself using palatable language or trying to be clear, he spoke in intentionally opaque parables. Rather than sweet talk the religious power brokers, he called them “vipers” (Matthew 23:33). Rather than use his access to political leaders for his benefit, he kept a clear allegiance to the Father. And rather than maintain a superficial unity with his disciples, he rebuked them and challenged them with truth. 

All this from the most influential man who ever lived. 

By contrast, consider the ways we disguise our idolatry to others’ opinions in holy terms: 

• “I am doing it for the Kingdom.”

• “I don’t want to needlessly push people away from Jesus.”

• “Why distract people from the gospel?” 

Each one of these sentiments carries a kernel of wisdom. We should indeed avoid petty jabs, unhelpful oversimplifications, and mean-spirited generalizations. No matter how hard the message or how searing the truth, we are not excused from kindness, gentleness, love, and self-control. 

But Jesus rebuked people for whom he would also die on a cross. He offended people, but his ultimate desire was to save them because, as we read in John 3:16, he loved us so much. We must hold together the fullness of his witness. 

The starting point for obedience, then, is not always found in questions like “What do I need to say to that person?” or “What do I need to accomplish?” but instead “What is derailing my own faithfulness?” “Which idol is shaping my message and my life more than Christ?”

Maybe it’s an idolatry of results or an addiction to success. Maybe it’s a worldly notion of influence or a false belief that the ends always justify the means. Maybe it’s an idol of control. Whatever is inhibiting your faithfulness to the character and message of Jesus, take a step in the direction of thinning the fruit, pruning the branches, and casting it into the fire. It may not make sense to everyone and we may even lose people along the way, but Jesus’s life reminds us that we can do all of these things because Jesus went before us and it changed the entire world. 

What idol in your life is shaping your life more than Christ? What is one practical way you can engage in the “discipline of obedience” today?