Session 12

Freedom comes from following instructions

From Exodus: A 34-Day Devotional

Have you ever been given a list of instructions, looked at the amount of information, and said, “I just can’t be bothered”? Maybe it was the bookshelf instructions from IKEA with its seemingly endless 8-point type and diagrams. Maybe it was the code of conduct you signed at work.

The thing we are quick to forget is that instructions exist to help us not hinder us. This principle is true in our everyday lives as well as our spiritual lives.

In Exodus 12, God gave Moses and Aaron meticulous instructions for conducting their Passover Feast. The nation of Israel “did just what the Lord had commanded,” and their total obedience led to their freedom from slavery.

Throughout the Bible, God gives us instructions as well — instructions on how to treat others, how to handle our money, how to grow closer to Him, how to worship Him. When we follow God’s instructions, we, too, experience freedom. James 1:25 says, “ whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

Following Jesus means obeying God’s commands, even when they seem

inconvenient, insignificant, outrageous, or scary (1 John 5:3, John 14:15). God is in control of all things at all times, and He works everything for our good (Romans 8:28). We can trust God’s instructions because He wants better for us than we want for ourselves. When we listen to God and do what He says, the outcome will always be for our benefit and His Glory, and it will always come in His time.  

Reflect:

• When you get a long list of instructions, what’s the first thing you think? Do you ever find yourself feeling that way when you read the Bible?
• Think of a time when you were obedient to God, even when it wasn't what you wanted to do. What’s one blessing that came as a result of your obedience?
• What next step is God asking you to do today? What, if anything, is holding you back from following the instructions God has given you?