All tagged Obey
When we are hungry, who do we turn to? When we are thirsty, where do we look to have our thirst quenched? When we need a safe place to lay our head at night, whose name do we call out to? Before we search for food, water, or shelter, we should seek God, and then obey Him as He leads us, and provides for us. This was the message to the Israelites during their trek through the desert, and it is our message today.
Do we listen for the voice of the Lord in our daily lives? Do we look for opportunities to serve God as we go about our days? When we do these things we are blessing God, and bringing Him glory. So I ask, are we being attentive, and obedient... are we praising His Holy Name as we provide continuous service to His will?
Wisdom, it comes in two main flavors; earthly , and spiritual, and both of these have been given to us by God as a means of doing His business. The first is so that we can understand Him through His creation, and the second so that we might understand Him better through His Son Jesus, but in both cases we suffer as we gain in it.
Do we do trust in God to provide for us when we are called to do His will? Do we find ourselves reluctant to proceed on because the earthly cost is just too high? Sometimes even the most saintly people find themselves reluctant to walk away from a precious thing they have come to value. They lose sight of the fact that God gave them all they currently have, and that if they will obey Him, the Lord will not abandon them to poverty. He is able to give many times the amount they might lose... if He so desires.
When God sends a messenger to you in times of trouble are you comforted? When an Angel stands beside you and reassures you when you are frightened do you take heart? When you are in a bad spot, and God’s Word leaps from the pages of the Bible telling you not to fear, and that all will be well, do you have faith in that message? What about the whispered words of His will that come when all is well, and the night is still? Are you listening?
This morning I am contemplating the humility and love I have for my fellow man. I ask myself a simple question to get at the heart of it... “do I humble myself before God in prayer, only to leave that humility in my prayer closet when I leave it?” So often I see someone perform a single act of love or kindness for another and think that by doing this one thing it defines them, but it takes more than that... loving your neighbor should be the rule of your life, not the one-off exception. Be loving always and to all people.
Reading and remembering the Word of God is very important, but unless we actually do those things we have read then we have gathered nothing but useless knowledge. To be enamored by the words contained in the Bible without putting them to good use by doing God’s will in them is sheer foolishness. Do you live the life you read? Do you not only hear God’s voice, but obey it?
Today is the last day of the year, and typically one in which we take stock of our accomplishments and failures over the past twelve months. This is also a time when we make plans for the coming year, and determine the condition of our present life. As you do so, do you have regrets that haunt you, and fears that give you tribulation as you look towards the coming new year? Well, fear not because our Lord uses what is past to prepare us for what lies ahead, and He helps us face today with a firm faith in His goodness and mercy.