This is what I told them: ‘Obey me, and I will be
your God, and you will be my people. Do everything as I say, and all will be well!’
– Jeremiah 7:23

Successful coaches must have players that listen and are obedient. I’ll never forget the time I was coaching my son’s T-ball team. Hunter was only four years old, but was allowed to play with our five and six year old group. Hunter was enthusiastic, but had little experience playing the game. When he hit the ball, his coaches were always very encouraging, “Run Hunter, run!” Not knowing exactly where to run, our first base coach decided to be more specific, “Run to me Hunter, run to me!” In our first game of the season, Hunter was obedient. He made contact with the ball, ran straight to the first base coaches box and hugged his coach. He was promptly tagged out. We all had a good laugh because Hunter had done exactly as he was instructed.

God calls his believers to be obedient too. Obedience to God allows us to grow in our relationship with Him as we mature in our faith. God had set up a system of sacrifices to encourage the Israelites to joyfully obey Him. God required the people to make these sacrifices, not to please Him, but to help them see their sin and develop a genuine desire to live for Him. They had faithfully been making the sacrifices, but they had forgotten the reason they were offering them, and therefore disobeyed God. Jeremiah reminded the people that unless they were prepared to obey God in all areas of life, simply preforming the religious rituals were meaningless. God is encouraging you as He says, “Run to me Coach and all will be well!”

Heavenly Father, You are a God worthy of my trust. Help me to be obedient today in all You call me to do. Teach me to rely on You alone and not my own desires. Amen.