When Obedience Breaks Expectations
“Jesus replied to them, ‘It is not those who are healthy who need a doctor, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.’” – Luke 5:31-32
Sometimes obedience to God will confuse people. It did when Jesus walked the earth, and it still does now. His way of reaching people didn’t fit inside the boxes religious leaders had built. He healed at the wrong time. He taught in the wrong places. He spent time with the wrong people. And every time He did, someone had something to say about it.
Maybe you have experienced something similar. You felt led to serve someone who others had written off. You gave generously when others thought you should save. You forgave someone who hurt you, and people thought you were foolish for doing it. You kept loving someone who walked away, and people didn’t understand why.
That’s what it means to follow Jesus. You will be misunderstood. Your actions might not make sense to people who aren’t walking the same path. But just like Jesus, you’re not living to impress them. You’re living to please the Father.
When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the crowd missed the miracle because they were too distracted by the method. They were more concerned with rules than with restoration. It still happens today. People get caught up in appearance, while God is working underneath the surface.
So if your obedience makes some people uncomfortable, let it. That means people are paying attention. That means you're not blending in.
Keep following Jesus. Keep reaching the people others avoid. Keep saying yes even when it looks strange. Because the goal is not to be understood by the world. The goal is to be faithful to the one who called you.
Sometimes obedience to God will confuse people. It did when Jesus walked the earth, and it still does now. His way of reaching people didn’t fit inside the boxes religious leaders had built. He healed at the wrong time. He taught in the wrong places. He spent time with the wrong people. And every time He did, someone had something to say about it.
Maybe you have experienced something similar. You felt led to serve someone who others had written off. You gave generously when others thought you should save. You forgave someone who hurt you, and people thought you were foolish for doing it. You kept loving someone who walked away, and people didn’t understand why.
That’s what it means to follow Jesus. You will be misunderstood. Your actions might not make sense to people who aren’t walking the same path. But just like Jesus, you’re not living to impress them. You’re living to please the Father.
When Jesus healed on the Sabbath, the crowd missed the miracle because they were too distracted by the method. They were more concerned with rules than with restoration. It still happens today. People get caught up in appearance, while God is working underneath the surface.
So if your obedience makes some people uncomfortable, let it. That means people are paying attention. That means you're not blending in.
Keep following Jesus. Keep reaching the people others avoid. Keep saying yes even when it looks strange. Because the goal is not to be understood by the world. The goal is to be faithful to the one who called you.
Subscribe Now for Daily Devotionals
Recent
Archive
2026
January
God’s Design Is the Best DesignYou Were Destined for MoreDelivered Into Divine GuidanceSet Apart by MercyYou Are the Workmanship of GodPeople Will Fail You, But God Never WillStrength For the Long HaulYou Belong to the KingMore Than MaintenanceBigger Than Your PredicamentsYou Inherit What Cannot Be LostLive Like a Royal PriestSignificance Starts with DependenceNot Everyone Shares the Same DestinyPulled Out with PurposeMade to ProclaimCelebrate the Diversity in God’s DesignNot Problem-Free, But Promise-FilledA New Kingdom, A New LifeFaith That Puts in WorkThe Accuser Has No PowerYou Can Be SureLet the World WonderDesigned for DependencyThe Cross Already Proved His LoveNo Separation ClauseDelivered for SignificanceGod Is Not Shocked by Your SituationYou’re Part of a Bigger StoryVictory In Jesus
February
You Are CalledYou Were Made for a MissionGrace That Sets You FreeYou Can Do Nothing Without JesusGod’s Calling Looks Different for EveryoneGod Uses What You Already HaveThe Proof Is in the RemainingLiving to Please GodYou Have What You NeedYou Were Made to Stand OutExpect Ridicule When You Follow JesusWhen “But First” Gets in the WayFrom Sitting to FollowingYou Were Made for a MissionFruitfulness Comes from Connection, Not PerformanceDon’t Just Know the Word. Live It.What’s Distracting You from Your MissionWhy I Don’t Put Ashes on My Head — and Why I Don’t Judge Those Who DoStop Looking BackGod Knew What He Was Doing When He Chose You
2025
July
What Are You Hiding From?Where Worry GrowsWhere Security Really Comes FromChange What You’re Looking AtAnswer the Right QuestionsWhere Are You Looking?Go to the Right WellLet Go of the GripQuit Trying to Outmuscle WorryRunning on EmptyWhen “Lord” is Just a WordDig Deeper Before the StormWhen the Work Feels Too HardThe Slow Work That LastsWhat Were You ThinkingDo You Trust Him?Not Everything Sweet is SafeSay It or Show ItMore Than a NameThe Weight Behind the WordsThe Cost of CommitmentMore Than Good IntentionsThe Neighbor You’re BecomingWhat Are You Known ForSlow Down and See ThemEyes to See, Time to StopWhat Comes FirstMercy MovesWho Are You Really After?The Right Name, the Wrong HeartPower Matters
August
Living a Life That Makes People Ask WhyWhen Your Life Makes No SenseWhen Normal Isn’t the GoalThe Right Kind of QuestionableWhen Motives Get MisunderstoodThere’s a Bigger Story at WorkWhen They Question Your WhyWhen Your Way Gets QuestionedWhen Obedience Breaks ExpectationsWhose Glory Are You Seeking?When the Cross Seems QuestionableBless Someone TodayA Little Can Bless a LotThe Power in Just Showing UpWhen Obedience Doesn’t Make SenseMore Than EnoughThe Beauty of Broken ThingsProtecting the Wrong ThingThe Danger of Misplaced Effort
No Comments