Stop Renaming Disobedience
“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…” - Matthew 28:19 CSB
There is a dangerous kind of Christianity that agrees with Jesus and still avoids Him. That sounds harsh. But sit with it. It is possible to believe the Great Commission is true and still live like it belongs to someone else. It is possible to love sermons about mission and never take a step toward one person. It is possible to talk about reaching the lost, caring for the hurting, strengthening the weak, encouraging the drifting, and discipling the next generation while quietly assuming someone else will do the actual work.
And if we are honest, we are good at making disobedience sound respectable. We do not usually say, “I refuse to obey Jesus.” We say other things.
But sometimes we use spiritual language to cover spiritual avoidance.
That's where today's devotional needs to press on us. Because Jesus did not say, “Make disciples when your personality fits it.” He did not say, “Make disciples when every fear is gone.” He did not say, “Make disciples when you have mastered every answer.” He said, “Make disciples.”
The sermon put it plainly: don’t call passivity personality, don’t call fear wisdom, don’t call silence respect, and don’t call busyness obedience. That lands because we know how often we do it. We call passivity personality. “I’m more behind the scenes.” “I’m not outgoing.” “I’m quiet.” “I’m introverted.”
And maybe that is true. Maybe you are quieter. Maybe you are more reserved. Maybe you do not process out loud. Maybe walking up to someone and starting a spiritual conversation feels like trying to jump off a cliff. But personality is not lord. Jesus is.
Your personality may shape how you obey, but it does not excuse whether you obey. You may disciple differently than someone else. You may do it through a slower conversation, a thoughtful text, a cup of coffee, a quiet prayer, or a steady presence over time. That is okay. God uses different people in different ways. But if personality becomes the reason you never help anyone follow Jesus, it has moved from description to excuse.
Then we call fear wisdom. This one feels noble because fear often wears the clothes of caution. “I am being careful.” “I do not want to damage the relationship.” “I am waiting until they are more open.” “I do not want to say the wrong thing.” There is a kind of wisdom that is patient and loving. There is also a kind of fear that learned how to sound mature. And only the Spirit can help us tell the difference.
So ask honestly: Am I being patient because love is leading me, or am I being silent because fear is ruling me? That question matters. Because fear has a way of making obedience look reckless. Fear tells us that one awkward conversation could ruin everything. Fear tells us that rejection would be unbearable. Fear tells us that we need to protect our image, our comfort, and our control.
But Jesus has all authority. Fear does not. Then we call silence respect. We say, “I respect their beliefs.” And yes, we should treat people with dignity. We should not manipulate, pressure, shame, or attack anyone. We are not trying to win arguments to feed our ego.
But love does not mean we never speak.
If someone was walking toward danger, silence would not be respect. If someone was drowning, silence would not be kindness. If someone was crushed under guilt, shame, confusion, grief, or self-rule, and you knew where hope could be found, silence would not be love.
The gospel is too good to be hidden behind politeness.
This one hits many of us because life is full. Work, kids, school, church, errands, bills, responsibilities, appointments, messages, schedules, exhaustion. We are tired people living distracted lives.
But a full calendar does not automatically mean a faithful life. We can be busy with good things and still miss the person God placed near us. We can serve in church and avoid spiritual investment. We can attend faithfully and never ask, “Who am I helping follow Jesus?”
And here’s where this gets real. The issue underneath all of this is self-rule. We want to follow Jesus in ways that still leave us in control. We want obedience that does not threaten our comfort. We want mission that does not interrupt our schedule. We want discipleship that does not cost relational risk.
But Jesus did not call us to manage our lives with a little religious help sprinkled on top.
He called us to follow Him. And following Him means He gets authority over our mouths, our schedules, our relationships, our comfort, and our fear.
So today is a day of confrontation. Name the excuse. Do not make it vague. Do not hide behind spiritual language. Bring it into the light before the Lord. Is it fear? Is it comfort? Is it approval? Is it busyness? Is it insecurity? Is it pride? Is it the desire to stay in control? Then ask Jesus for Spirit-given power to take one step of obedience.
Not a dramatic step. A faithful one.
Send the text. Ask the question. Invite the conversation. Pray for the person by name. Open Scripture with your child. Check on the friend. Encourage the newer believer. Point the drifting person back to Christ. Obedience does not have to be flashy to be real. But it does have to move.
So stop renaming disobedience. Bring it to Jesus. And take the next step.
Reflection Question
What excuse have you been using to avoid helping someone follow Jesus, and what specific act of obedience do you need to take this week?
Your personality may shape how you obey, but it does not excuse whether you obey.
Prayer
Jesus, forgive me for renaming disobedience in ways that sound spiritual. Show me where fear, comfort, approval, or busyness have been ruling me. Give me Spirit-given power to obey You with humility and courage. Help me take one faithful step toward the person You have placed near me. Amen.
There is a dangerous kind of Christianity that agrees with Jesus and still avoids Him. That sounds harsh. But sit with it. It is possible to believe the Great Commission is true and still live like it belongs to someone else. It is possible to love sermons about mission and never take a step toward one person. It is possible to talk about reaching the lost, caring for the hurting, strengthening the weak, encouraging the drifting, and discipling the next generation while quietly assuming someone else will do the actual work.
And if we are honest, we are good at making disobedience sound respectable. We do not usually say, “I refuse to obey Jesus.” We say other things.
- “I’m not really that kind of person.”
- “I do not want to be pushy.”
- “I am waiting for the right time.”
- “I do not know enough yet.”
- “I do not want to make things awkward.”
- “I am busy right now.”
- “I am praying about it.”
But sometimes we use spiritual language to cover spiritual avoidance.
That's where today's devotional needs to press on us. Because Jesus did not say, “Make disciples when your personality fits it.” He did not say, “Make disciples when every fear is gone.” He did not say, “Make disciples when you have mastered every answer.” He said, “Make disciples.”
The sermon put it plainly: don’t call passivity personality, don’t call fear wisdom, don’t call silence respect, and don’t call busyness obedience. That lands because we know how often we do it. We call passivity personality. “I’m more behind the scenes.” “I’m not outgoing.” “I’m quiet.” “I’m introverted.”
And maybe that is true. Maybe you are quieter. Maybe you are more reserved. Maybe you do not process out loud. Maybe walking up to someone and starting a spiritual conversation feels like trying to jump off a cliff. But personality is not lord. Jesus is.
Your personality may shape how you obey, but it does not excuse whether you obey. You may disciple differently than someone else. You may do it through a slower conversation, a thoughtful text, a cup of coffee, a quiet prayer, or a steady presence over time. That is okay. God uses different people in different ways. But if personality becomes the reason you never help anyone follow Jesus, it has moved from description to excuse.
Then we call fear wisdom. This one feels noble because fear often wears the clothes of caution. “I am being careful.” “I do not want to damage the relationship.” “I am waiting until they are more open.” “I do not want to say the wrong thing.” There is a kind of wisdom that is patient and loving. There is also a kind of fear that learned how to sound mature. And only the Spirit can help us tell the difference.
So ask honestly: Am I being patient because love is leading me, or am I being silent because fear is ruling me? That question matters. Because fear has a way of making obedience look reckless. Fear tells us that one awkward conversation could ruin everything. Fear tells us that rejection would be unbearable. Fear tells us that we need to protect our image, our comfort, and our control.
But Jesus has all authority. Fear does not. Then we call silence respect. We say, “I respect their beliefs.” And yes, we should treat people with dignity. We should not manipulate, pressure, shame, or attack anyone. We are not trying to win arguments to feed our ego.
But love does not mean we never speak.
If someone was walking toward danger, silence would not be respect. If someone was drowning, silence would not be kindness. If someone was crushed under guilt, shame, confusion, grief, or self-rule, and you knew where hope could be found, silence would not be love.
The gospel is too good to be hidden behind politeness.
- Jesus died for sinners.
- Jesus rose from the grave.
- Jesus forgives.
- Jesus restores.
- Jesus calls people out of death and into life.
This one hits many of us because life is full. Work, kids, school, church, errands, bills, responsibilities, appointments, messages, schedules, exhaustion. We are tired people living distracted lives.
But a full calendar does not automatically mean a faithful life. We can be busy with good things and still miss the person God placed near us. We can serve in church and avoid spiritual investment. We can attend faithfully and never ask, “Who am I helping follow Jesus?”
And here’s where this gets real. The issue underneath all of this is self-rule. We want to follow Jesus in ways that still leave us in control. We want obedience that does not threaten our comfort. We want mission that does not interrupt our schedule. We want discipleship that does not cost relational risk.
But Jesus did not call us to manage our lives with a little religious help sprinkled on top.
He called us to follow Him. And following Him means He gets authority over our mouths, our schedules, our relationships, our comfort, and our fear.
So today is a day of confrontation. Name the excuse. Do not make it vague. Do not hide behind spiritual language. Bring it into the light before the Lord. Is it fear? Is it comfort? Is it approval? Is it busyness? Is it insecurity? Is it pride? Is it the desire to stay in control? Then ask Jesus for Spirit-given power to take one step of obedience.
Not a dramatic step. A faithful one.
Send the text. Ask the question. Invite the conversation. Pray for the person by name. Open Scripture with your child. Check on the friend. Encourage the newer believer. Point the drifting person back to Christ. Obedience does not have to be flashy to be real. But it does have to move.
So stop renaming disobedience. Bring it to Jesus. And take the next step.
Reflection Question
What excuse have you been using to avoid helping someone follow Jesus, and what specific act of obedience do you need to take this week?
Your personality may shape how you obey, but it does not excuse whether you obey.
Prayer
Jesus, forgive me for renaming disobedience in ways that sound spiritual. Show me where fear, comfort, approval, or busyness have been ruling me. Give me Spirit-given power to obey You with humility and courage. Help me take one faithful step toward the person You have placed near me. Amen.
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