All tagged obey
Have you ever been on a flight and after takeoff the pilot came on the intercom to say something like "welcome to flight 1974 to Boston. We should have a smooth flight and our trip will be 30 minutes shorter than planned due to having the jet stream at our backs. So relax and enjoy the flight"? Traveling in God's will is much like that; we are carried along with little to no effort because we are walking within the very breath of His will for us.
This morning I wrap up our contemplation and discussion regarding the ability of man to God's commandments. We have seen that God strengthens us through prayer, faith, and our relationship with him. For our part we need only to seek Him and acknowledge His son Jesus Christ as our savior. He does not force Himself upon us but allows us to decide to worship Him and to obey His law.
We spoke yesterday regarding the commandments and our need to follow them, but some will argue that in our fallen state (since the Garden of Eden) that we are incapable; is that true? Are we doomed to failure by the failures of Adam and Eve? Well, if that were ever true, then most certainly the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has solved that inability.
It pays to be obedient; this was the motivation behind the devotional message I read this morning. As I digested this thought, I couldn't help but contemplate the negative view that our society has of authority and rules. Despite this negative view of some, and the impression that secular laws and rules are made to restrain us, God's commandments were instituted to make us prosperous and keep us healthy. Jesus reiterates the fact that God gives us commandments out of love, and that they are to be obeyed. In return He will provide for us and answers our prayers. In His commandments, God is helping us to live better lives and rewarding us for our efforts.
Can we actually obey all of God's commandments? Man has been struggling to answer this question since Adam and Eve were first told not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. And although they failed at keeping that one command God did not abandon them, but clothed them instead, and continued to love and teach them. Later, Moses came down from the mountain with even more commandments… And we all know what happened then; man continued to fail. So are we doomed to lives of failure? Is it any different today than it was then? Not really, but God has made provision for us. Are we ready to receive it?
Jesus talks about keeping (being obedient to) His commandments in the book of John. He isn't talking about an obedience based on fear, but an obedience founded in love and a desire to follow Him. When we obey the biblical commandments out of love and not duty, Jesus will manifest Himself in us, and we will experience the love of God; a love like none other.
When God speaks do we answer straightway? When God says “Come” do we immediately go to Him? When Jesus says “Go do...” are we willing to drop whatever we are presently doing and go? By our very nature we are procrastinators, some of us more than others, but all of us have some degree of this trait in us. However, when God reaches out to us He expects action and not excuses, and for us to obey exactly as He has instructed. Are we obedient children of God?
Do you want to follow Jesus but have something you must do first? Has God ever called you to a specific purpose but the timing just wasn’t convenient for you? If that is the case, did you console yourself by saying "God understands that I will eventually come" or perhaps use some other rationalization? Well, think again. His table is set when He calls us, but if we delay then it will eventually be cleared, and the meal put away. Will we ignore Him, and arrive too late to dine?
Do you only commit a portion of yourself before God when He asks something of you? Do you use such language as "I will but", or, "just let me do this first", or perhaps you ask "what about this?" Do you place certain conditions on when, or whether, you will follow God's will for you? Maybe it's time we should just respond "here I am."
This morning I contemplate our being chosen by God for a life and relationship with Jesus; even as much as we ourselves choose to live that life and love our Lord. I think about Saul becoming Paul and his more intense selection by Jesus. After Saul had been struck down in the midst of his noon day prayers, and blinded, he was told to go into Jerusalem and wait there for instructions. Are we chosen, are we humbled, or do we obey, and go humbly without struggling to meet Him?
When the Lord our God gives us a bitter cup, and tells us to drink, what is our response? When we are told to face the death of a loved one, or perhaps our own death, do we walk dutifully into it, or do we resist it with all our might? What was Abraham’s response when he was asked to sacrifice his only son Isaac; did he hesitate to obey? In similar fashion, Jesus didn’t want to die, but more than that, He didn’t want to disobey the will of His Father. So He healed the ear that Peter had cut from the soldier’s head as he tried to rescue Jesus, and then our savior told him to put up his sword. Jesus didn’t just obey, but he helped to facilitate God’s will. Do we do this when we come to know God’s will for us? Is it in us to not only obey, but to contribute to God’s will for us?
I don’t know about you but sometimes I am a procrastinator. This morning I proved once again that this is true. Although I typically rise before my phone’s alarm sounds at 3 AM, today I slept until it was ringing, and then I hit the snooze button… not once, but twice. So by delaying I started my morning prayers, my time spent in scripture, devotional reading, and more importantly, I was late when it came to seeking inspiration, and then writing what the Holy Spirit would put on my mind for us to share today. However, as I started my morning with the Lord it dawned on me that this was no accident. But had served His purposes. I was to write about answering God without hesitation, and how He always answers us at the perfect moment… not early, not late, but exactly at the right time. Although we are occasionally inclined to put things off, or as it was for me today, to oversleep; our Father is never late, and fulfills His promises, and does what He says… perfectly every time.
We are meant to do the will of God, but do we know what that is, and if not, how do we come to know it? We can’t discern the entire will of God on our own, because it is too deep and broad for us, but He will show it to us in bits and pieces as His Holy Spirit guides us day by day in understanding, and obedience. We come to know it through prayer, studying His Word, and listening for His voice. We will know it is His will, not ours, by testing what we hear in this way.
When we follow the Lord with all our heart He blesses us. When we obey Him, and remain in His will, He rewards us. Let’s think back on those times when it would have been easier to go along with the crowd, turn a blind eye to something we knew was wrong, or not to give of ourselves because it would hurt us to do so; yet, we remained true to the Lord in these things. Did we not receive a blessing from being faithful? Our obedience never goes without notice, or reward, and the more difficult, or painful the effort, the greater we are blessed… sometimes with riches or earthly things, but always with spiritual wealth.
As Christians we speak with the authority of Christ, and not with any power of our own. We do nothing except through Jesus who is in us, and we in Him. Does this sound familiar? Well, it should because Jesus tells us the very same thing about His relationship with God, and the authority He has received from Him. Jesus took on the authority of God, and we assume the authority and power of Christ, but neither of these can be accomplished without absolute love… the Seal of God.