DID you ever think, clear children, what a wonderful thing it is, that the great and mighty God, who made the world, and the sun and the moon, should think about you, and should in
His holy word, put a little message, on purpose to tell you what He wishes you to do? You will find this message in the Epistle to the Colossians, chapter 3 verse 20, and this is what it says, “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleasing unto the Lord.” I dare-say you have often heard that verse before; perhaps you can repeat it quite nicely, but let me ask you a question. Do you obey your parents? There are several ways of obeying, which we might talk about.
First there is prompt obedience. What does that mean? it means doing what I am told at once. A little boy was walking with his mother in the grounds of an old castle: The little fellow was running ahead, holding the hand. of a playmate. Suddenly his mother said, “Stop George.” George did not ask “Why?” or, “Can’t I run a few more steps?” no, he stopped instantly, and when he looked, there was an old well just in front of him. Another step, and he would have fallen in and his little companion, and they might both have been killed. George knew how to obey promptly.
The second kind of obedience is cheerful obedience. If Mary is playing at dolls, with her little friends, and mother calls her to come and rock the cradle, does Mary come with a pout, or a cross look, and give two or three rocks and run hack? That is not cheerful obedience. Or if Fred is playing ball in the garden, and is called to go on an errand, if he speaks rudely, and says “It’s- errands all the time, I can never have any peace,” is that cheerful obedience?
The third kind I would ask you to think about is what we might call exact obedience. A little girl was at my house the other day to tea. After tea she was playing happily with the other children, when she came to ask me, “What time is it?” I told her, and she said, “Will you be sure to call me, at 10 minutes to 7? for mother said to leave for home at 7 o’clock, and it will take 10 minutes to get ready.” That little girl had learned ex act obedience.
Another kind is obedience when no one is looking. Freddy had been told not to go to the pond to skate, but he thought, “I will go just a little while, no one will see me.” Presently Freddy fell down and cut his hand, oh! so badly, and when he ran home crying, the whole story had to come out, “Ah, Freddy,” said his mother, “the Lord saw you on the pond, and He has punished you,” and Freddie, who does want to please Jesus, said, “Yes, I think so, too.”
1 Think there is One you can tell me of who obeyed in all these ways. We read of the Lord Jesus, when He was a little boy, that He was “subject unto His parents.” What does that mean? It means obedient in all things. I am sure that He obeyed Mary His mother, promptly, cheerfully, exactly, at all times, and in all places. Will you try to do as He did?
Messages of God’s Love 6/16/1907