Ever have a time when your parents told you to do something and you asked “Why? “and they responded with “Because I said so?” So annoying. As a kid, you probably wondered why adults are allowed to use excuses like that.
But did you ever pause to consider maybe they were doing you a favor by answering that way?
I spend a lot of time on this blog talking about the whys of God’s commands. Why can’t we use colorful language when we’re mad? Why do we have to go to church? Why can’t a girl live with her boyfriend before they’re married? Why can’t one man marry another? It’s okay to dig into the Bible and learn why you should follow a particular command. But sometimes the most important reason to obey God is because God said so—and no one loves you more than him.
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In This Article
Why Should I Care What God Says?
Just a quick recap of your history: God sent his perfect son to switch places with you. Jesus took on your grimy sin, you took on his faultless perfection. Why? Because he loves you. Because he wants you to enjoy an eternity with him. He’s offering you all the fullness of himself forever. There is no question that this was an act of extreme love.
Everything God has done before then and since then has been done out of continued love for you.
There should also be no question that everything he has done before and since was done out of continued love for you. He gave you a magnificent world full of beautiful and intriguing things to explore and enjoy. He has given you every good thing you have in your life, including clothes to wear, food to eat, friends, family, education, a place to work… The list is endless.
So why should you care what God says? You should care because no one has or ever will love you as God does. He loves you even when you don’t care.
And because he loves you, he also gave you rules for living.
Rules Are A Blessing, Not a Burden
You’re probably rolling your eyes at this but rules are a blessing. Rules keep you safe and help you enjoy things the way they were meant to be enjoyed. I own an acoustic piano but it doesn’t make music by itself. It’s my responsibility to learn how to play it.
Rules are a blessing when you want to make true and beautiful music.
God gives us rules to help us enjoy our earthly life. Sometimes the reason for those rules is obvious (i.e. you shall not murder because it ends a life and people won’t like you very much). But some rules are harder to explain (i.e. what exactly does God define as adultery and why?). Does that mean you don’t have to follow them? Of course not. Just realize they’re there for your protection.
Why Should We Obey God?
God tells us exactly how to love him back. He could have turned it into a guessing game or made it like a game of darts where you have to work to hit that exact bullseye but he didn’t. He lays it out plainly:
“Jesus replied, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them.”
John 14:21
If you love God, you will obey his commands. (More on this is How to Love God: What is God’s Love Language?) God is under no obligation to explain every little thing he tells us. We would never be able to grasp it all if he did:
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9
The Number One, Most Important Reason to Obey God…
“Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.”
2 Corinthians 7:1
When it might not seem clear why you can’t participate in something God forbids, just remember that he is God and you are not. He loves you and he wants you to take pleasure in him before anything else because he knows there is no greater source of joy to be found. So just do it because he says so—and you love him.
Stay True to God’s Word, Score For the Team
It happens: a basketball player makes the perfect shot—right into the opposing team’s basket. Or a football player gets confused and races the ball straight into the wrong end zone, scoring six points for the other team. If this was you, I imagine it tops your list of Most Embarrassing Moments Ever.
It’s humiliating to score points for the wrong team.
As a Christian, you are a member of a very important team, with Jesus as your captain. Jesus sends us out with this command:
“Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.”
Mark 16:15
Every soul collected for Christ, every heart that turns to him and says, “You first,” is another point for Team Jesus. Boo-yah! But sometimes we unintentionally score points for the other team. How? By not remaining true to God’s Word.
You score points for Satan’s team when you:
- Excuse the little lie you told your parents as “not a big deal.” (Exodus 20:12)
- Pick up that trashy novel or head to that racy website. (Ephesians 5:3)
- Encourage a friend who is harboring same-sex tendencies to go with his feelings instead of steering him to what God says about homosexuality. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
- Choose cohabitation with your boyfriend over God’s plan for sex and marriage. (Hebrews 13:4)
Any time we excuse sin or twist the words of the Bible to fit our current culture—or ignore parts of it altogether—we score for the other team. One little sin is all Satan needs to gain his footing and start piling on the points.
Don’t be caught in the wrong end zone.
Be Faithful to Your Team
The word “obedience” tends to invoke a negative reaction in most people. Dogs go to obedience school, children are expected to obey their parents. So by the time you’re a teen, you’d rather focus on independence than obedience. But obedience isn’t something Christians do because they’re slaves at the hands of a relentless master. You stay true to God’s word because you recognize he is the ultimate source of pleasure, unsurpassed by any rush or gain you could ever experience on Earth.
Obedience is the ultimate show of team loyalty.
Stay True to God’s Word to Prove Your Faith & Trust
You trust that he’s given you these commands because there’s substantial benefit to you. And you have faith in him as a source of pleasure above all else. God gives us rules because he knows what we need even if we don’t know it ourselves.
>>> Psst! More on how God’s word is honey to your soul can be found in When Being A Christian Teen Is Hard, Soar With Psalm 119 <<<
Stay True to God’s Word to Show You’re Ready to Do Great Things
If you want to be asked to do something great, you have to be ready to do something great. It’s as simple as that. I don’t trust my littlest kids to handle a paint roller because they can’t even raid the crayon drawer without making a mess. Your obedience says to God, “I believe in you and I’m ready to go where you want me to go.”
Stay True to God’s Word to Experience the Blessings of Holy Living
By and large, the #1 misconception about obedience is that it’s supposed to be miserable, like community service, taking a third job to pay off debt, or shoveling manure in the stifling July heat. So untrue! As I said in The Holy Teenage Life: Real Faith, Real Happiness, you don’t have to choose between targets. For the Christian teen, happiness and holiness are the same bullseye.
Stay True to God’s Word to Demonstrate Your Love For God
The #1 misconception about obedience is that it’s supposed to be miserable.
Obedience is, if nothing else, a true act of worship. It might not feel like it compared to raising your hands in the air and belting out “Bless the Lord” at the top of your lungs. But when you follow his commands, you speak his love language.
Stay true to God’s Word, even when it’s not popular, and you will reap the benefits in eternity.
And the next time your parents say, “Because I said so,” to your question of why, I dare you to thank them for teaching you godly patience.
More On God’s Love & Loving God
You don’t have to have all the answers.
but, hey, why not?
Bring me your questions about faith, life, God, the Bible… and I’ll help you find the answers.
Still struggling with God’s love? Check out How to Really, Truly Know God Loves You and the verses in True Love on Valentine’s Day, No Matter Your Relationship Status.
Want some specifics on showing your love to God? See How to Love God: What is God’s Love Language? Plus 14 Ways to Love God More This Year from the Blazing Center.
More posts to help Christian teens grow in the Lord:
- For Better or Worse: How Deep is Your Devotion to God?
- 8 Ways to Grow in the Fear of God
- Teens for Christ: What Does it Mean to Fear God?
