“Yes, Yes, and that all depends!”
October 6, 2011
I recently read a book that recounted the wedding vows of the main characters. When the bride was faced with the question, “Do you promise to love, honor, and obey this man all the days of your life?” she replied, “Yes, Yes, and that all depends.” I laughed as I read those words because if we are completely honest, we will all admit the word “obey” causes us to grimace or shudder, or at the very least, clench our teeth a little tighter.
What is it about obedience that is so repulsive? Simply put – we just do not like to be told what to do. It feels demeaning to us because we would rather assert our rights. No one wants to feel like a servant even though in the 21st century we are far removed from Master/Servant relationships. But should we be? If we have an issue with being a servant then the name of God, Adonai, will be a real problem for us.
Adonai means Lord. The word indicates the relationship of Master to servant. Broken down more specifically, it defines His total possession of me and my total submission to Him. If this sounds radical to you, perhaps it would be beneficial to identify why calling Him Lord is bothersome. Complete commitment to the will of God for our lives should not be the exception to the rule it should be the norm for every single one of His children.
Just like trusting God’s Sovereignty is liberating, so is bending the knee in total submission to Him. The fact of the matter is: Everyone will serve something or somebody. As Romans 6 tells us,
“Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?” (Romans 6:16)
Our choice? Slave to sin or slave to righteousness. It seems so easy on paper but living out this choice is more difficult than we might imagine. Perhaps it would help to consider Jesus as our example. (Side note: It always helps to consider Jesus.) He too bears the name Lord and if we follow Him, we must follow and model His ways. In John 13, he assumes the lowliest of positions, that of a household servant and washes His disciples feet. Interestingly, the text tells us that the devil had already put into Judas’ heart the desire to betray Jesus. Yet, Jesus knelt right there on that floor and washed the feet of the one who would hand Him over to the government officials to be crucified. To call Jesus Lord, we must be willing to be a servant of others no matter how they treat or mistreat us.
As our Adonai, He will supply everything we need to perform His will.
Do you call him Lord? If asked today, “Will you love, honor and obey God as your Saviour?” would you say, “Yes, Yes, and YES!” (CT)