What kind of child of God are you?  God’s family is just like families in the physical realm; there are different kinds of children in His house.  One thing we should all have in common, however, is that we are obedient to our heavenly Father.

1 Peter 1:14 (ESV)
¹⁴  As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance,

Are you an obedient child?  The importance of obeying God should never be taken lightly.  Solomon reminds us that the whole duty of man is to “Fear God and keep His commandments…” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).  When it comes to obeying God, our souls are at stake.  The disobedient will have no place in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 7:21 (ESV)
²¹  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

There is only one way to properly behave in the house of God, and that is by following the rules of the Father.  Denominational preachers, and even some preachers in churches of Christ, like to say that there are no rules or regulations in God’s house.  Glen Owen, a preacher for the Midtown church of Christ in Fort Worth, TX, once said, “Nobody has any right to preach anything other than the Gospel of pure grace.  We are saved by grace plus nothing.  You are saved by faith period.  There is nothing you can do to be saved.  There are no rules; there are no regulations in serving Jesus Christ.”

This teaching not only contradicts the teachings of Jesus, it defies logic.  Jesus said we must DO God’s will.  Whatever God says we must do is a rule we must obey.  The Hebrews writer agrees.

Hebrews 5:8-9 (ESV)
⁸  Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. ⁹  And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him,

In spite of what Mr. Owen claimed, there is something to do to be saved.  This is why Paul said we must work out our own salvation (Philippians 2:12).  Paul was not teaching that we must earn our salvation, nor that we can be saved by obedience alone.  Apart from the grace of God, obedience is useless because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).  Paul was teaching, however, that we must obey.  Read the passage in Philippians yourselves and see if you do not agree that Paul used the word “work” interchangeably with the word “obeyed.”  In God’s house, we must behave obediently.

One more thing for you to think about as you wind down… As children of God, we must not only obey, but we must have a mindset of obedience.  Obedience begins in the heart.  If we respect God as we should, and recognize His sovereignty, our attitude will be one of respectful obedience.  No matter the command, we will obey God because of our reverence for Him.  The Bible calls this godly fear, and it is a part of all proper behavior in the house of God.     

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.