Obedience

 

 

         Deuteronomy 4:39,40, Therefore, know this day, and consider it in your heart, that the Lord Himself is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other. You shall therefore keep His statutes and His commandments which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which the Lord your God is giving you for all time.

         The Lord demonstrated to the Israelites His awesome power when He delivered them from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, also bringing them through the wilderness for 40 years, providing them with food and water and shelter. Now Moses is reminding them of the awesome power of God and that He and He alone is God. There is no other God. Moses reminds them to keep His law and it would go well with them and their children. If the Israelites would have obeyed the law of God it would have went well with them. When you read through the Old Testament there are numerous times where they rebelled against the law of God and were turned over to their enemies and then when they repented and turned back to God, God would hear from heaven and deliver them from their enemies.

 

         Isaiah 1:18-20, Come now, and let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land, but if you refuse and rebel, you shall be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

 

         God is the final authority, therefore, His is the only reason there is. God offers us a choice, we can repent and turn to God and our sins will be washed clean or we can refuse God and die in our sins. The Lord's word is guaranteed and it will come to pass. I think in these times that we're in people get to wishy washy about God's law. We say, well that's old testament, or that doesn't mean the same now as it did then or, we've compromised. Watching a movie that uses the Lord's name in vain, which by the way you will find in PG 13 movies, and we still watch it. That's an example. I know I like action movies but you won't find one with clean language. People will also say well we're saved by grace and that's absolutely true, however, since we are saved by grace and not by the law shouldn't we be even more thankful and thus demonstrate that thankfulness by representing our perfect God in a more perfect way.

 

          Romans 6:17,18, But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. And having been set free from sin, you become slaves of righteousness. Jesus came and saved us and part of that is also being set free from sin. The law is there to show people their wrong and I know that when I came to Jesus things that were wrong in my life had to go.

 

          Mat. 12:33, Either make the tree good and it's fruit good, or else make the tree bad and it's fruit bad, for a tree is known by it's fruit. I believe that by receiving Jesus into our lives then He helps us fulfill the law.

 

          Mat. 5:17, Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.

 

          John 14:26, But the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

         I think it's about time that we as Christians make a stand against anything that's improper. A nice way to decide if it's improper or not is to think of whether you would do it in front of God or not. Would you go into your church doing what ever it is that your doing.

James 4:17, Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin.

          I believe that God's laws are as much for today as ever and we're fortunate in the fact that we have a helper who guides us into that truth. I believe that being obedient to God's law is an essential part of being able to receive the blessings of God. Jesus says to repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand or another way to look at it is, repent, or it will cost you the kingdom of heaven. I know I have grown a lot in the Lord but there is still a long way for me to go. Where I really have a struggle is when I get mad, I tend to use names like retard or stupid. I'm not cussing, or am I? Am I compromising. I know when I become angry the Holy Spirit, my Helper, tells me to not act that way but I push it to the side and choose to let my flesh have control. That's not the way Jesus would do it. I pray the Lord will continue to help me and I know eventually I will overcome. I know Jesus and my witness for Him is more important then fulfilling the lust of my flesh. I know that I am saved and that not of myself, it is the gift of God that has delivered me into salvation. I want to give God my best and the best way I can think to do that is to be obedient to His word.

 

1 John 2:3-6, Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. He who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk just as He walked.

 

God bless and keep you, BUD