“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said,

‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’ ‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed

his mind and went. Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He

answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. Which of the two did what his father wanted?

‘The first,’ they answered.” (Matthew 21:28-31)

Christians acknowledge Jesus to be their Lord and Savior. As Lord, Jesus has the right to

expect and demand obedience from us. Choosing not to obey Him is rebellion against God,

which can result in severe consequences. Indifference to the Lord’s commands and delayed

obedience are also disobedience.

You may ask, “When people disobey God’s will, does God give them a second chance?” The

answer is sometimes, but not necessarily always. Just ask Jonah. Jonah was a prophet who

was called to deliver a warning of judgment to a rebellious nation. He fled from God’s call for

him to prophesy against the wickedness of the city of Nineveh, because he feared they

might repent and thereby be saved.

But God didn’t take no for an answer. So, after Jonah boarded a ship to Joppa, God arranged

for a terrible storm to nearly sink the ship. Jonah knew he was the reason for it and told the crew

to throw him overboard so the storm would calm down. They obliged, and Jonah was swallowed

by a great fish. While in the fish for three days and three nights, Jonah repented, and God

commanded the fish to vomit Jonah on dry land.

Then God commanded Jonah to go and preach to Nineveh for the second time. This time,

Jonah obeyed; he preached a one sentence sermon, and 120,000 Ninevites believed God and

repented. So, God had compassion on them and did not bring on them the destruction He had

threatened.

Disobedience is costly. It almost cost Jonah his life. Consider Moses, who murdered an

Egyptian. He spent 40 years in the wilderness. David’s sin with Bathsheba resulted in the death

of his son. And the list goes on.



God often uses our disobedience to develop our character. He may let you drift in the wrong

direction for a little while, but He won’t let you go too far without His discipline to bring you back

to Himself. The Holy Spirit helps you realize that your way isn’t God’s will, and He leads you into

the right path. He will even use the circumstances of your disobedience to ultimately work all

things together for your good (See Romans 8:28).

By Jim Connell

Jim is the founder and retired director of Lexington Rescue Mission and the author

JesusIsLordBlog.com