Tag Archives: obedience

October 14

Mark 6:45-56; Matthew 14:22-36; John 6:16-24, 25-59

Do you remember the crazy man we read about a few days ago? He had been living for years in a cave, out of his mind. But when Jesus healed him the neighbors found him clothed and sane. If you remember, the man begged Jesus to take him with him. Jesus asked the man to stay and tell everyone what Jesus had done for him.

If I am right, I believe we are reading the rest of the story today.

I don’t know how long it was between visits, but when the people of Gennesaret saw Jesus get out of the boat, they recognized him. And they welcomed him. The last time Jesus was in the area they had asked him to leave.

What changed?

I believe it was the crazy man, living among them, talking to them about Jesus. Had Jesus allowed the man to leave with him instead of staying home to face the neighbors, I imagine we would be reading a different account here.

Jesus asks us to be that kind of witness in the place he has brought us. He wants us to tell everyone what he has done for us. He wants us to be the vessel through which people can come to him.

May he find us as faithful as the man in this story.

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the privilege we have of sharing you with our neighbors and friends. I pray that our lives, our testimonies, our demonstration of your love, will draw many to you. Thank you for the example of obedience we read today. May your children, may I, make the same kind of impact on our communities as we tell people what Jesus has done for each of us.

October 12

4 Replies

John 5:16-47; Mark 6:6b-11; Matthew 9:35-10:42; Luke 9:1-5

Judas was a believer, a follower of Christ. He was one of the twelve who was given power to heal the sick, drive out demons, and raise the dead. He, along with Peter, James and John, went into cities and shared the good news of Jesus.

I wonder what that trip was like for Judas. Is this where his heart began to change from wanting to follow Christ to wanting something else?

God is asking me today what it is that I want? Matthew 5:34-39 says following Jesus is serious business. His is not an easy road to travel. It certainly is not always peaceful.

And Jesus is very demanding. On one hand the Bible tells husbands to love their wives. But in 5:37 Jesus warns that if you love her more than you love God you aren’t worthy of him. If I put anything or anyone above my love for Jesus I am not worthy of him.

What does that even mean?

Jesus demands that he be our life’s focus. That all the things we do, the jobs we have, the people we love, are to come second to our relationship with The Lord. None of these things are wrong and we are to be busy doing what God intends for us to do, loving each other, serving each other.

But somewhere along the way Judas lost his focus. And we know how that story ends.

May we keep our eyes on Jesus. May we love him more today than we did yesterday. And may we serve him with joy.

October 6

September 23

1 Reply

Psalms 146, 147; Nehemiah 7:73-9:37

Are we so different from the ancient Jews? Isn’t it true that when things are going well for us, our families are well, our jobs are good, when we are healthy and able to pay the bills, we tend to drift away from God? But at the first sign of trouble we hit our knees and go to him for help. It’s not that we don’t love him. It’s that we must think we need him less in good times.

Did you read Nehemiah 9:27&28 today and feel a twinge of guilt as you recognized yourself in Israel’s experience? Remembering the disobedience of their forefathers they prayed:

So you handed them over to their enemies, who oppressed them. But when they were oppressed they cried out to you. From heaven you heard them, and in your great compassion you gave them deliverers, who rescued them from the hand of their enemies. But as soon as they were at rest, they again did what was evil in your sight. Then you abandoned them to the hand of their enemies so that they ruled over them. And when they cried out to you again, you heard from heaven, and in your compassion you delivered them time after time.

Time after time.

And that’s been my experience. No matter how many times I return to the Lord after drifting away or after blatantly disobeying him, he delivers me. When I confess my sin, he is faithful and just to forgive my sin and cleanse me from all unrighteousness… time after time.

Oh that I would learn to choose obedience every day, no matter how comfortable my life becomes. Oh that I would love him like he deserves to be loved every day, in good times and in bad.

Father, I thank you for grace. I thank you for your faithfulness, your forgiveness, your great love. Forgive me when I drift, when I disobey, when I become so comfortable I neglect my relationship with you. May I cherish my relationship with you and nourish it every day by reading your Word and praying. May you find me faithfully serving you today regardless of life’s circumstances. And once again I want to thank you for forgiving me when I ask you to… time after time.

September 22

3 Replies

Psalms 121, 122, 123, 128, 130, 134, 135, 136

These psalms remind us how good God is. They are psalms of praise to the One True God, maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 136 reminds us “His love endures forever”. Nothing can separate us from the love of God.

But his love doesn’t cancel out his holiness.

Sometimes I think we in 2013 mistake God’s love for his forgiveness, his acceptance. Psalm 130:4 says:

But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.

It doesn’t say with you there is forgiveness, therefore I can live like I want to and you are ok with it because you love me so much. Not only do these psalms speak of God’s blessings, they also remind us God is to be feared.

123:2 As the eyes of slaves look to the hands of their masters…

128:1 Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways.

1135:20 You who fear him, praise the Lord.

Do you fear the Lord? If you really did you might not have said what you said yesterday. You might not have gone where you did or laughed at what you laughed at. You might not think those impure thoughts or harbor hatred toward someone.

Do you fear the Lord? What does that look like in your life? God loved you so much he died for you to pay the penalty for the sins you commit. It’s because of him you can stand before him, wearing his righteousness, cleansed by the blood of the Lamb.

Are you afraid to dishonor him, to disappoint him? Do you recognize his holiness and fall on your knees before him? God loves you. God so loved the world. But don’t mistake his love for permission. Blessed are those who fear him, who obey him, who serve him.

Holy God, may we view sin as seriously as you do. May we recognize your holiness and tremble at the thought of disobeying you. Thank you for your great love that sent Jesus to Calvary. I want to live my life out of gratitude for your grace. Help me to never take your love for granted but to serve you, to fear you, to love you as you deserve to be loved.

September 18

5 Replies

Nehemiah 1-4

I love the book of Nehemiah. I love it that the names of the Jews and the section of the wall they repaired are recorded. I love it that Shallum’s daughters helped him rebuild his appointed section. I love that the Jews worked hard to complete the task at the same time they were aware of the enemy and were ready to defend the city. One hand pounded nails while the other held a sword. They were workmen by day and watchmen by night.

No one person was responsible for repairing the entire wall. Everyone did his part. I can’t imagine what that wall looked like. Different people with different levels of ability worked on different sections, often right in front of their own homes.

Did they each put their personal touch on their section? Did Shallum’s daughters decorate their portion with flowers and rainbows? Uzziel was a goldsmith. Did he put a little sparkle in his section? And did the perfume-maker Hananiah douse his stones in fragrance? Were there little handprints pressed into the mortar or initials dug into the stone?

I love reading Nehemiah because it reminds me of what the Church should look like today. Each of us doing our part, planting seed as we take soup to a sick neighbor, teach Sunday School or sing in the choir, putting our personal touches on God’s work as part of a worshiping fellowship. All of us working individually toward one common goal.

It reminds me that there is an enemy we need to be aware of and we need to be ready to go to battle at any time. It also reminds me that, when God is in our efforts, when he is on our side because we are obedient, our enemy doesn’t stand a chance against us.

I hope you are involved in a Bible believing fellowship of believers. And I hope you are putting your own personal touch in the work there. May God be pleased with our efforts as we work together to further his kingdom, the winning of lost souls. One brick, one soul at a time.

September 16

September 15

2 Replies

Esther 9:18-10:3; Ezra 4:6-23; Psalm 105

Those little troublemakers finally got their way. The Jews working to rebuild Jerusalem were forced to stop because a few foreigners got to the king. They had tried before with Xerxes but that king liked the Jews. So they waited for Artaxerxes and he listened to their complaints and stopped the work.

Has that been your experience with Satan? We win one victory over temptation only to be faced with another. We get through one difficult situation only to be hit with another, more difficult one. If we are God’s children there is a target on our backs and Satan is taking aim to prevent us from serving the Lord.

Take heart, dear one. Hold on. Keep trusting God no matter what circumstance you face.

The psalm we read today reminds us of how God worked through the nation of Israel. They faced hard times. They were slaves in Egypt but God brought them out with rejoicing and shouts of joy, laden with silver and gold. Why did God deliver them and settle them in Canaan? Verse 45 says:

that they might keep his precepts and observe his laws.

Obey God in good times and in bad. Face our enemy with God at your side. Our Lord can bring you out of whatever it is Satan is throwing at you with rejoicing and shouts of joy.

Gracious Heavenly Father, thank you for your word to us again today. Some of us are feeling the stings of Satan’s arrows. Our lives are difficult and we hurt. So thank you for reminding us that you are here and you are able to defeat our enemy, to bring good out of our trouble. May we be obedient children regardless of our situations. Keep us strong. Keep us focused. And may others see your hand in our lives. We want to keep your work going, Lord, so that lost souls can find you.

September 13

2 Replies

Esther 1-4

Why is the book of Esther included in Scripture? God isn’t even mentioned in its chapters. Yet Esther’s life paints a beautiful picture of some important spiritual truths.

For instance, Vashti refused to obey the King so her position as queen was snatched from her and given to someone else. Could this be a picture of the nation of Israel who refused to obey God or accept Jesus only to see their position given over to the New Testament Church?

Is Hamar a picture of Satan who would try to trick us into honoring him? And in the next few chapters will we be encouraged by his defeat?

Are we to learn to depend on God, to go to him boldly after spending time fasting and praying? At the end of chapter 4 Esther is ready to do whatever it takes, even if it results in her death. Can we learn the same determination to obey God?

Esther’s story is a good one and it has even inspired several movies, including one of my favorite movies. But while we read this story of love and bravery, let’s ask God what he wants each of us to learn. There are lessons here for us in 2013.

Dear God, I thank you for including Esther’s story among those you’ve preserved as Scripture. As we read this book I pray that you would speak to each of us and teach us what you would have us learn. May we love you, trust you, stand up against Satan, and be the Queen… the people… who make a difference in our world. And may you get the glory!

alighttomyway

LOVING God's Word, LISTENING to God's voice, LEADING others to God's Son, Jesus Christ