We seldom do something for others totally out of unselfish motives…for usually we have some hidden agenda, whether good or bad. We’ll do some kind gesture, with the inner thought of, “what’s in this for me?” Or we’ll go out of our way for someone, hoping others will see our sacrifice and praise us for all our hard work. The Lord knows our thoughts and examines our hearts and will immediately show us when our motivation is wrong. For God can bear witness to what lies within all humans…every self-seeking, egocentric, greedy fiber and part.
Tag: obedience to god
Isaiah 1: 19-20 ” If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”
Yielding our will to God is not easy…for compliance never comes without internal struggle. But if we listen to Him…understanding that it’s for our own good that He’s directing us that way…and then obey the message we’ve heard…God will work all things out for our good. Along this same line, Job 36:11 says, “If they obey and serve Him, they will spend the rest of their days in prosperity and their years in contentment.” Simple obedience…sometimes hard to do, but oh so beneficial.
I Corinthians 1: 27-29 ” But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him.”
God is in control…His choices explicitly and precisely are done to direct the course of redemptive history. He takes the simple-minded, the humble, the frail, and transforms them by the Holy Spirit into mighty men and women of God. For it is not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord Almighty in Zechariah 4:6. Under His anointing, the powerless become strong…the lowly and scorned become bold. Never underestimate what the Lord can do through you…never underrate the glory and honor you can give Him by simple obedience.
Psalm 145:3 ” Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.”
Paul’s letter to the Romans tried to explain our incomprehension of God’s greatness when he said, “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!” (Romans 11:33) As humans, we cannot start to understand or ever figure out just how wonders and miracles happen…for the Lord’s power is truly unfathomable.
Isaiah 26:7 ” The path of the righteous is level; O upright one, You make the way of the righteous smooth.”
Walking on uneven and bumpy ground can be very challenging…and even dangerous. At anytime our feet can slip and we can fall. But if we stand on solid, level ground, we can walk with confidence, even if the path is shrouded in shadows. Our journey through life is like that…it can be either be smooth or rough…life or death, depending on the path we choose.
Colossians 1:21 ” Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.”
The sinful nature, with all its evil desires and thoughts can not coincide with God…for sin keeps us separated from Him. The world views God with indifference…but He views it as an enemy.
Revelation 21:3-4 ” And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ “
Our body is the Temple of the living God…with the Holy Spirit residing within our hearts. We are a new creation…our old self has fallen away and we can stand before the Father free from the chains and baggage that have hindered us in the past. The Lord will wipe our tear-stained face and smile lovely into our eyes…and all the past will be gone.
Ezekiel 14: 2-3 ” Then the word of the Lord came to me; ‘Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of Me at all ? “
Biblical writers used the term “idol” rather scornfully, denouncing them as “dead beams of wood.” For anytime something is preventing us from seeing the truth and enticing us away from the one true God…it’s all death, decay, and darkness.
II John verse 6 ” And this is love: that we walk in obedience to His commands, as you have heard from the beginning, His command is that you walk in love.”
As you start your journey into 2016, are you willing to yield all of yourself to the Lord…conforming yourself to His ways, not yours? Are you willing to give Him that secret part of you that you’ve been holding on to…hiding from Him…unable to give Him fully? Obedience is the fundamental key in our relationship with God…for His love is truly made complete in it. ( I John 2:5)
II Peter 2:20 ” If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.”
So why do Believers fall away…even after experiencing the saving grace and mercy of Jesus? Is the pull of the world too strong, or is their confidence in this new-found faith too frail? Has the self-centered human nature triumphed over the newly gained eternal perspective? And why does Peter tell us they are worse off than before they knew Jesus…could it be that they may spend eternity lamenting their decision?
Safetypinlove 