1 Samuel 15:22 (ESV), “And Samuel said, “Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”

One of the hardest things about being a parent is learning how to discipline your children in a way that leads to obedience instead of rebellion. There is natural bent in the human heart against authority. It started in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rejected God’s authority, thinking they knew what was best. They believed Satan’s lie that God was trying to keep them from enjoying their lives. This initial act of rebellion opened the floodgates of sin, leading to chaos and destruction. The current condition of the world around us demonstrates how catastrophic that decision was for the rest of mankind. The saddest part of this whole story, is that simple obedience to God’s commands would have given them everything they were looking for, and more. One of the most important things we can learn as Christians, is that nothing has changed. God still has our best interest at heart. When we live our lives according to the teachings in God’s Word, we find everything we are looking for in life, and more!