Obedience Leads to Submission

Obedience is not always easy. It often requires sacrifice, humility, and the denial of our own desires. Yet for the believer, obedience is not rooted in obligation or fear—it is born from a heart that is fully submitted to the Lord.

To submit means to yield, to surrender, and to willingly place oneself under the authority of another. When I say I am submitted to the Lord, I am acknowledging His lordship over my life. I am declaring that His ways are higher than mine, that His thoughts are wiser, and that His plans are better—even when I don’t understand them. Submission is the soil from which true obedience grows.

I obey because I trust. I trust because I have seen His faithfulness. When God speaks—whether through His Word, His Spirit, or His people—I have learned that His instruction is never to harm me but to lead me into truth, righteousness, and peace. In submitting to Him, I let go of control and take hold of grace.

Jesus modeled this perfectly. Though fully God, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient even to death on a cross (Philippians 2:8). His submission to the Father was not a sign of weakness but the ultimate display of love and strength. As a follower of Christ, I am called to that same posture—not to live according to my own will, but to echo the words of Jesus: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”

My obedience, then, is not about legalism or perfection. It’s a reflection of relationship. It’s my response to the One who saved me, who calls me by name, and who leads me by still waters. Because I am submitted to the Lord, obedience becomes my act of worship. It is how I show my love, my reverence, and my devotion.

So today, I choose to obey—not because I have to, but because I want to. Because I am not my own. I am His.