1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)
“So 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 heed than the fat of rams.’”

God desires sheep, not goats. Jesus always referred to His followers as sheep because sheep are quick to submit to their shepherd’s leadership and follow. We are His sheep in His sheep pen, and when we hear His voice, we follow. That’s who pilgrims are. We are not goats, and we need to repeatedly reject the goat mentality of self-dependence.

Why do sheep follow sheepishly? Because they are not the smartest of animals. They don’t have the greatest of IQs and cannot easily discern for themselves what is right and what is wrong. Sheep cannot outsmart wolves, or lions or even simple dogs. Sheep are weak and easy prey to other creatures that are bent on devouring them. That’s why they need shepherds.

God wants us to be sheep who are committed to obeying Him and sheep who depend on Him. God wants sheep that follow Him. God does not want sheep who think they are smart without Him, who can carry out their own ideas without Him, and who aim to become successful without Him. God is looking for a dependent people who lean on Him for everything. That’s what God wants.

Samuel said to Saul, “Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord?” This passage shows that God delights in burnt offerings and sacrifices, but not like He does in obeying His voice. It means that God will delight in the works that we do for Him, but it must first begin with obeying His voice. This is what delights God’s heart.

Doing great things for God and in His name is great, but as pilgrims, we know that God is not primarily moved by the things we do, but by who we are. Goats can do great things, but He is not interested in receiving anything from goats because they do things in a way and manner that does not honor God. Only those who hear and obey God honor God by their actions.

Let’s let go of the old wine of multiplied religious activities. Let’s stick with the narrow way of listening to the Shepherd’s voice and obeying Him. He is the Lord of heaven and earth. There is nothing we can do to impress Him that does not start with obeying Him. The way to God’s heart is not by doing more but by streamlining. Less, which starts with obedience, is more!

Our goal for Christian living should be to keep it simple. Our primary prayers should be to hear His voice and obey. As the old hymnal says, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.” Obeying Jesus always requires trusting Him always.