Posts Tagged ‘obedience’

Happiness — Another Thought

Wednesday, November 25th, 2009

This will be short and sweet, I hope, because I need to take a nap! I just pulled a red-eye flight from Abbotsford to Toronto for a Girls Night Out event in Oshawa tonight, and I feel like I’ve been hit by a semi-trailer. My scheduled flight was canceled due to maintenance problems, and an all-nighter was my only option to get here in time for tonight’s event. Dem’s da breaks! If you read this before 7:00 p.m. EST, please whisper a prayer for energy and clear thinking for tonight’s show. www.gnolive.ca

Psalm 119:54-55 present an insightful follow-up to my blog about happiness. “Your principles have been the music of my life throughout the years of my pilgrimage. I reflect at night on who you are, O Lord, and I obey your law because of this. This is my happy way of life: obeying your commandments.”

Again, happiness is not found in stuff or in easy circumstances. It’s found in obeying God’s words, written from His heart of love for our well-being. It’s found in regarding His commands not as restrictive or a kill-joy but as the music of our lives. And it’s found in the benefits we enjoy – freedom from guilt, freedom from shame, and freedom from the fear of His judgment and wrath.

There’s my quick short, sweet thought for the day. And now…I’m headin’ for bed. Blessings on you!

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Friend of God

Friday, November 20th, 2009

One of my favorite worship choruses goes like this: “I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, I am a friend of God, He calls me ‘friend.’” The lyrics are simple but the truth they teach is profound.

Think about it. Imagine being a friend of God…the Creator of all that exists…the One who calls the stars by name…the One who knows how many hairs are on our heads…the One for whom nothing is impossible. Imagine being His friend…not just a mere acquaintance, but one who has a close and intimate relationship with Him…and that at His invitation! Doesn’t that just boggle your mind?

How is this friendship possible? James 2:22-24 tells us the secret. “He (Abraham) was trusting God so much that he was willing to do whatever God told him to do. His faith was made complete by what he did – his actions. And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed God and so God declared him to be righteous. He was even called ‘the friend’ of God. So you see, we are made right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”

One of the most important aspects of true friendship is trust. If I say my husband is my best friend but I don’t trust him around other women or with our finances, then our friendship leaves a lot to be desired. In the spiritual realm, we can say God is our friend but if we can’t trust Him enough to do what He says, then I don’t really know Him and our friendship is almighty shallow.  

Abraham was a friend of God because he trusted Him implicitly, as revealed by his obedience. When I read these words, something welled up inside me that cried, “I want to be Your friend, too! I want to know Your heart, understand Your ways, know Your secrets. I want intimacy with You!”

The thrill for me lies in knowing that God wants the same thing. He wants it so much that He’s told me what it takes – obedience. Now it’s up to me. How badly do I want to be called His friend? Am I willing to do what it takes?

How does this thought of being called a friend of God impact you?

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More Thoughts about Obedience

Monday, May 18th, 2009

Saul’s life offers some priceless insights about obedience or lack thereof. God’s command to him was clear: “Go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation – men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys” (1 Samuel 15:3).

Did Saul do as he was told? Nope. He captured the Amalekite king and allowed his army to keep the best of the sheep and cattle – everything, in fact, that appealed to them (v. 9). He must have skipped class on the day his teachers explained the definition of obedience, because his understanding obviously lacked. When Samuel asked him why he didn’t obey the Lord’s command, Saul answered, “But I did obey the Lord. I carried out the mission he gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep and cattle and plunder to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal” (v. 20-21).

Saul failed to connect the dots between God’s Word and his behavior, and God held him accountable. Samuel pronounced the verdict: “Since you have rejected the Lord’s command, he has rejected you from being the king of Israel” (v. 26). Ouch!

A couple of thoughts from these verses:

  • It’s possible to convince ourselves that we’re walking in obedience when in reality, we’re far from it. Others might recognize our shortcoming but we’re blinded. If a godly person tries to warn us, we’d best listen.
  • God desires complete obedience. (v. 22 – “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice.”) Halfway obedience simply doesn’t cut it.
  • God holds us accountable for lack of obedience. There are consequences when we refuse to listen to His voice.

Why is obeying God’s Word so important? Because of who He is. Psalm 11:7,8 say: “All he does is just and good, and all his commandments are trustworthy. They are forever true, to be obeyed faithfully and with integrity.”

God’s commands are good and fully reliable because He is good and faithful. They’re given for our protection, to enable us to live life as He intended. Failure to obey hurts us and affects those around us.

Whether or not we obey what He tells us to do is our choice, but we need to choose well. When we do, we will receive a reward: “The rewards of wisdom come to all who obey him” (v. 10). How different from paying negative consequences as Saul did when he disobeyed!

Here are a couple of questions for you: What do you think is the biggest hindrance to our obeying God’s Word? In what area of life do you struggle with giving God complete obedience?

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Obedience and Other Stuff

Friday, May 15th, 2009

We humans are a perplexing bunch, don’t you think? We can justify nearly anything we do. Sometimes it starts with the small stuff. Here’s an example:

I’m working at my computer in the middle of the afternoon when hunger pangs strike. I satisfy them with a brownie despite knowing that an apple would be a smarter food choice. “It’s okay,” I reassure myself, “I needed something sweet.” (Like, duh…a few too many brownies later, I’m frustrated at the bathroom scale for its ever-increasing numbers).

Sometimes the issues are much bigger…

A man sits in our dining room, explaining why he’s leaving his wife of 28 years. “I just need some time to myself,” he says. “I need to think, to sort things out.” (He was having an affair but didn’t realize that we knew about it. He was actually making the break with his wife so he could move in with his girlfriend).

Who are we kidding, anyway? And who was Saul kidding when he blatantly disobeyed God’s commands and then justified his behavior?

1 Samuel 15:1-15 tells the story of Saul fighting the Amalekites. God had issued his command: “Go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation – men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, camels, and donkeys.” Saul went into battle, but rather than obeying implicitly, he captured the Amalekite king and spared the best of the sheep and the cattle. Then Samuel showed up and demanded an explanation.

“I have carried out the Lord’s command,” said Saul wearing a grin a mile wide (v. 13).

“Then what’s all the bleating of sheep and lowing of cattle I hear?” Samuel asked.

“It’s true that the army spared the best of the sheep and cattle,” Saul admitted. “But they are going to sacrifice them to the Lord your God. We have destroyed everything else.”

Did Saul actually think he could justify his disobedience and get away with it? I guess so. Sadly, it didn’t work. It doesn’t work for us either.

When God tells us to give to the needy, He’s not impressed with excuses such as, “Well, my kids’ sports activities cost so much that I didn’t have anything left to give.” When He tells us to get rid of questionable books or magazines, He’s not impressed with answers like, “But the fizzle left my marriage years ago. These stories replace the romance I don’t have in real life.” When He tells us to get involved with missions in North America or overseas, He’s less than excited when we respond, “Who, me? Uh, I don’t have the time right now.”

God wants our obedience, not our reasons for why we do life our own way. More on Monday.

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A Love Life Like No Other — part 3

Monday, January 5th, 2009

No matter how busy our lives get, our obedience to God is of utmost importance. When He speaks, we must do what He says. The older I get, the more I realize how critical this is.

This morning I read the story of Abraham’s obedience — getting up and moving from the familiar into the unknown simply because God said so. I’ll bet that wasn’t easy. Actually, I know that wasn’t easy for him….you see, we’ve done it a couple or three times ourselves. Despite the angst that often accompanies such a move, there’s a strange sort of peace that goes with it when we recognize that God is the One giving the marching orders, and He’s in control of every detail.

Yes, there are certain times when God demands our obedience in the big things. But He also expects obedience in the little things — like telling the truth, being honest if the grocery clerk give us too much change, refusing to entertain lustful or critical thoughts, and so on. This kind of obedience is do-able no matter how busy our lives get. And it’s critical to our spiritual health.

Any insights out there? How has obedience (or lack thereof) impacted your relationship to God?

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The Secret to a Fruitful Life

Thursday, January 1st, 2009

Thursday, January 1

As the new year dawns, I’m filled with a sense of anticipation about what God wants to do in and through my life in 2009. While I don’t know the details, I’m confident that He wants me to enjoy a more intimate relationship with Him and to bear fruit that will last for eternity. And so, as I opened my Bible this morning, I asked God to bring this to pass.

Typically I use the One Year Bible in the New Living Translation for my devotions. This morning, I read Psalm 1, and its words seemed to leap off the page.

“Oh the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with scoffers. But they delight in doing everything the Lord wants; day and night they think about his law. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper.” (vv. 2,3)

What’s the secret to having a fruitful life? One of the major keys is obedience. When God has a plan and asks me to participate, I need to say yes. And I need to do so with delight.

I think of a teenager being asked by his mom to take out the trash. He can respond in either of two ways. He could whine and moan and complain — “Aw, Mom, do I have to?” or he could say, “Sure, Mom. No problem. I’ll get right to it” and obey cheerfully. Which response brings greatest joy to his mother? The latter, of course.

And so it is with God’s children. When He gives us a task, we need to say yes with a cheerful heart — even if we don’t understand why He’s asking us to do a certain thing. By doing so, we show Him respect. We demonstrate our love for Him, and He is pleased.

The other key, I believe, is filling our minds with God’s Word. When we do that, we begin thinking His thoughts and valuing the same things He values. That will transform our behavior, and that will impact the world around us for Jesus Christ.

The natural result of living life with God’s values in mind is fruitful living. It’s not something we have strive for, it just happens when we’re walking in obedience to His will and thinking His thoughts.

That’s the kind of life I want! How about you?

“Lord, grant us hearts that take delight in obeying You even if Your directives seem difficult or hard to understand. Give us the strength to train our minds on You so that we will begin to think as You do. And give us the privilege of bearing fruit without fail. We love you. Amen.”

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