03/28/2023
Today we are exploring our obedience to God and Jesus without questioning their instructions. We are looking at obeying them without the need for us to weigh their guidance against our own worldly beliefs and desires. We are looking at obedience based upon absolute trust.
Sometimes we receive a word from God and it isn't something easy or perhaps it is something we think is dangerous or would put us in a precarious position financially or even spiritually... so we question His motive or understanding. This doubt is nothing new for man, but is certainly detrimental to our faith.
“Then after that saith he to his disciples, Let us go into Judaea again. His disciples say unto him, Master, the Jews of late sought to stone thee; and goest thou thither again?”
John 11:7-8 KJV
Doubt, although not new is dangerous; it can place us in a position in which we are doing more than just asking for clarification... it tempts us to bargain with God. I was reminded of this when I read my devotional message this morning. Let's read what Oswald Chambers says about obeying God... even during those times when we might fear for Him and His church.
"Are you debating whether to take a step in faith in Jesus or to wait until you can see how to do the thing yourself? Obey Him with glad reckless joy. When He says something and you begin to debate, it is because you have a conception of His honor which is not His honor. Are you loyal to Jesus or loyal to your notion of Him? Are you loyal to what He says, or are you trying to compromise with conceptions which never came from Him? "Do whatever he tells you."" - Oswald Chambers
This is an amazingly powerful phrase… "Do whatever He tells you," and it is a phrase of absolute obedience that comes from scripture, specifically, it is spoken by Mary. Jesus is about to turn water into wine, and she is telling the servants not to question Him or complain about what He asks them to do, but to simply "do it." She is letting them know that something beyond their understanding is about to happen. Something wonderful.
“His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.”
John 2:5 KJV
When Jesus asks something of us, it is tempting to grouse about obediently hauling the water, or whatever it is, but He asks nothing frivolous... something wonderful is about to happen. We might find ourselves challenged or even afraid, but if we step out in faith then the wonder that awaits us will become real in, and for, us.
I loved watching the Indiana Jones movies, they were wholesome, and so full of excitement. One of my favorites was 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.' In that movie Indy and his father were following clues to find the Holy Grail. Finally, they reach a place where they believe it to be, but they must face a number of deadly challenges where the clues which will lead them safely through these trials are biblical in nature.
Indy solves the riddles and then finds himself standing at the edge of a deep chasm. On the far side is another entrance, but how will he get across? He recognizes this to be one of the most difficult of all the challenges… a leap of faith... and with his wounded father saying "you must believe" from somewhere behind him, he steps out into thin air. Suddenly, acting obediently, his trust and faith are rewarded, and he is shown what his eyes could not see otherwise… there is an invisible bridge there that couldn’t be seen unless you stepped out onto it in faith... So he retrieves the Grail, saves his father, and I won't spoil the rest of the movie for you.
God often asks us to take that leap of faith. He wants us to step out into thin air with only His promise to support us. It is a very hard thing to do and goes against everything our eyes, and physical lives, have taught us... yet here we are, standing at the edge of a chasm with our Father behind us saying "you must believe." Will we take that faithful step? Will we trust in Him when everything within us is saying that it doesn't make sense? This is when we are tempted to question God... this is when we look at Jesus and are tempted to say "goest thou thither again?”
So what do we do when we face the chasms and must step out in faith? Do we take that step without reservation? Do we step out with beads of sweat all over our foreheads? Do we step out at all? The answer to these questions will await us at some point in our life, or for some of us it might have already been answered, but behind every step of faith comes another, and they all lead to an amazing revelation; something wonderful. So, how will we answer when presented with something that requires our absolute trust and faith in God? How will each of us personally answer the next great challenge in our quest for God, and eternity?
Prayer:
Father, build my faith, so that I will always be prepared to step out when you call me to exercise absolute faithfulness. Lord, give me the strength of faith necessary to trust in you completely, and the courage to obey you by climbing out of the safe places that the world has taught me to be true. Teach me a lesson in believing, and to step into something wonderful instead of securely standing in the boat of my life’s physical trust in the world. Show me how to walk with Jesus on the water... and embark upon that walk with unwavering faith. Never let me miss the wonders that await me on the far side of the chasm when you present me with challenges of uncertainty. In you let me find my courage; in you let me find my strength; in you let my faith abound; in you let my trust be absolute, and in you let me experience the divine wonders, and the spiritually wonderful things that are only possible in you.
“But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26 ESV
“Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?”
Exodus 15:11 ESV
Rich Forbes