The Call to Obedience is the Answer to Freedom (Emily Davis)

It’s so funny because I’ve grown up my whole life knowing and loving Jesus. I’ve always known His sweet love, but it just grows deeper and deeper as I continue to know Him.

Some might say that I’ve been “trapped” in Christianity. There are even moments when I could understand why someone might think that—because I didn’t always truly understand what it means to live in real freedom. If I’m being honest, I’m still learning. I imagine I will be learning this for the rest of my life. It’s a continuation. A process. An ongoing tension between the desire for divine eternity and the pull of my flesh.

In the book of John, Jesus tells His disciples that if they truly love Him, they will obey His commands. Throughout Scripture, Jesus—and the apostles who wrote letters to the early church—teach that true freedom is found in the new life we have in Christ. That can sound strange, though. How can obedience and a life of servanthood equal freedom?

Even now, it can feel strange to say out loud, even though I know it’s true. I understand how, from the outside, it might not make sense that following Jesus wholeheartedly and desiring to obey Him could lead to true freedom.

But I also know what it’s like to be bound by earthly shackles while believing you’re living free. It may look like freedom on the outside, but on the inside it can be a bond you’re constantly fighting to break.

One of the simplest ways I can explain it is through marriage. I love my husband. I love him despite his flaws, and I truly love seeing him happy—feeling honored and respected. My husband does not lord over me or demand things from me, but he does value being honored and respected, especially by me. And I genuinely love honoring and respecting him—it brings me joy.

That might sound strange, because it can seem like that means he is above me or that his feelings matter more than mine. That’s not it at all. It’s that I recognize his role as the prophet, protector, and provider of our home, and I want to honor him in that. It’s not forced. It’s love.

Jesus has given me a life I could have never dreamed of. He has answered prayers in ways I didn’t always understand or even like at first—but I almost always see the beauty in the outcome. I can’t help but want to honor and obey Him.

He saved me from my sin, even though I am undeserving. He stood in my place. The King chose sacrifice for me. And in Him, I have found true freedom—to be who I was created to be.

I walk in obedience not because I have to, but because I get to. I get to live this life in friendship with Him, even though I don’t deserve it.

I know it might sound crazy, but I am so thankful to be willing and able to live in obedience to Him—because in that obedience, I have found true freedom to be who He has called me to be, in a friendship that will never fade.