COMPLETE OBEDIENCE
“Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.” John 2:7
Jesus and His disciples were invited to a wedding at Cana. When the wedding party ran out of wine, Jesus was called upon and would perform the miracle of turning water into wine. In our text, we have the instructions Jesus gave the servants, “Fill the waterpots with water.” Then the response of the servants to the order of Jesus: “And they filled them up to the brim.” They filled every one of the water pots “up to the brim.” This is a splendid illustration of COMPLETE OBEDIENCE. It might seem like a minor thing, but these servants followed their instructions to the letter. They were told to “fill” the pots, and they did exactly as they were told. Surely God included the words “up to the brim” in order to make a point or emphasize something for us. They did not partially or mostly fill the pots, but they were filled “up to the brim.” They were filled as fully as it was possible for them to be filled.
We all should be as diligent to fully obey the instructions that are given to us. For something to be considered obedience, it must be complete obedience. Partial obedience is not obedience. Delayed obedience is not obedience. As families, it is essential that we teach and reinforce the importance of obedience to our children. This is the place obedience should be learned. And yet in far too many cases, the home is failing in this regard. Complete obedience is almost nonexistent in many children of our generation. There are various reasons for this, but a primary factor is that parents do not expect or require obedience in the home. Children are commonly allowed to disobey or partially obey, with little or no consequences.
As individual Christians, we must demand obedience of ourselves. We cannot afford to disregard the discipline of obedience in our lives. First and foremost, we are to completely obey God and His Word. None of God’s commands are to be slighted. Also, we are obligated to obey those God has placed in authority over us. That would include government rulers, family authority, church leaders, and those in the work place. In addition, as churches, we are to be obedient to the commands the Lord gave His churches. As these servants were quick to fully obey the Lord’s directive, may we be ready and willing to obey His Word.