Deuteronomy 28:12:

Be careful to obey all these words that I command you, that it may go
well with you and with your children after you forever, when you do
what is good and right in the sight of the LORD your God.

Be careful. Obedience requires great care. What happens when
Christians aren't careful? They fail in obedience.

Careful toward what? Obedient to what or whom?

We must be careful toward culture. We must not walk in the world as
if we belong to it. We are intentionally different. Our calling is not
to blend in as well as possible. We are supposed to stand out, stand
up and be different for Christ. What makes us different? Namely, our
obedience. Obedience in the midst of an anything-goes culture will
not go unnoticed.

At a time when Christians and entire churches are taking great care to
blend in to culture I believe God is seeking those few who will stand
out in culture and be carefully obedient in a society of self
indulgence.

And, we're not talking about obedience to yourself. The world says be
"true to yourself". The Bible says your true self is inherently wicked
and should never be trusted when life is on the line! Forget about
being true to yourself. Be CAREFULLY true to God's Word! The text says
"...be careful to OBEY all these WORDS I command you...".

Finally, it's important to remember that although this was spoken and
promised to God's chosen people of Israel thousands of years ago, it
applies to all who are in Christ today. A promise is attached to a
lifestyle of obedience. When we do what is GOOD and RIGHT in the sight
of the Lord, He will see to it that it goes well with us and our
children - FOREVER.

Is there any reason I wouldn't acknowledge before God at this very
moment that "obedience" is even better than "sacrifice"? What does
that mean? Simply put, obedience comes first. Acts of sacrifice
second. For instance, Jesus had to prayerfully submit himself to
obedience toward the will of His Father in the garden before He made
the ultimate sacrifice.

I'm reminded of the lyrics to an old Keith Green song:

To obey is better than sacrifice
I don't need your money
I want your life
And I hear you say that I'm coming back soon
But you act like I'll never return

Well you speak of grace and my love so sweet
How you thrive on milk, but reject My meat
And I can't help weeping of how it will be
If you keep on ignoring My words

Well you pray to prosper and succeed
But your flesh is something I just can't feed
To obey is better than sacrifice
I want more than Sunday and Wednesday nights
Cause if you can't come to Me every day
Then don't bother coming at all

To obey is better than sacrifice
I want hearts of fire
Not your prayers of ice
And I'm coming quickly
To give back to you
According to what you have done

If you are wondering what you can do for God, a very simple beginning
is this: obey His Word.

Dan

For those interested, here is a the song in audio form: