Recently,I've been working with my nearly 3 year old son on the concept of obedience. As any normal child, he's at the stage where he's learning that he's not an appendage of his mom and he actually has a mind of his own. So for instance, when momma says that he needs to turn off the TV because it's time to eat, he naturally tries to see how long he can get away with watching his cartoon before he is threatened with disciplinary action.
I've tried many of the obedience methods out there. There's the 1...2...3 method; of course most kids wait until right before their parent says 3 before they start to respond. Or there's the promise of some sort of treat if they complete the specific task that is commanded of them; and my son ALWAYS remembers about the treat at the end...even if it's been several hours. Or some people even threaten to take away something dear to the child if they fail to obey. No matter which technique a parent decides to use; the goal is the same: to get your child to follow your instructions without questioning, whining or dragging their feet.
As I began this process with my son, a thought struck me. How can we expect our children to obey us in this manner if we blatantly disobey God's Word? I began to analyze my own life and the strongholds that had stunted me from being obedient myself. Tithing was a big issue that had held me back for years. Sure, I had heard numerous messages on how important it was, I clearly knew what God's Word said about it. But I just figured that I could somehow 'pick and choose' which commands of His I wanted to obey and which ones I could conveniently dismiss as mere suggestions.
As this revelation of my disregard for God's command tugged at my conscience, I looked for examples of obedience in the Bible. I had the perfect example right in front of me: a Son obeying His Father, even to the point of death. Philippians 2:8 "And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Jesus was exalted because He obeyed His Father's command.
With further research I found that we will also reap rewards if we obey. Job 36:11 states that "If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures."
I don't know about you, but I want prosperity and a long, fulfilling life for both me and my son. I began tithing regularly a few weeks ago and already I have seen financial increase and favor in my life. In addition, I've noticed a great improvement in my son's obedience toward me. I am learning to lead my son not only with my words but by example.
Aristotle and Benjamin Franklin both said in their own different versions: "He that cannot obey, cannot command."
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