We all need spiritual sustenance, because we all have a God-shaped hole inside that needs to be filled. This inner hunger and thirst for God propels us forward in His Way and supports us in times of trials. Life is sustained by food…but our spiritual life is nourished and maintained by the word of God.
Tag: obedience to the Lord
Luke 2: 51-52 ” Then He went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But His mother treasured all these things in her heart. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Even at twelve years old, Jesus had the plan and purpose for His life laid out in front of Him. But He was also the young son of His parents, Mary and Joseph, and He honored them by His submission and obedience. Many times in our own life we’ll encounter situations that we just don’t understand, but we know they’re of the Lord. That’s when we submit anyway…we obey anyway…we honor anyway.
We’ve got to live: Submissive in His authority.
Jesus Christ has all authority both on earth and in heaven. (Matthew 28:18)…so why is it so hard to yield our will to His? In our head we know He has supreme rule…but our rebellious nature would rather do things our way than submit…our pride and arrogance would rather rule than surrender. We need to remember that submission to God’s authority is the beginning of freedom not slavery.
Habakkuk 2:18 ” Of what value is an idol, since a man has carved it? “
So many times our humanness gets in the way of a right relationship with the Lord. In a twisted form of arrogance, we place our wretched past up on a pedestal and proclaim it to be “too terrible” for the Lord to forgive. Yes, your past may be riddled with bad choices…but nothing God hasn’t forgiven beforehand. Murder, adultery, rape…the list goes on in the Bible of deplorable actions done by people in difficult situations. But when they took responsibility for their sins and asked forgiveness…God forgave them. For there’s nothing so serious, so vile, that God’s redemptive power can’t forgive.
Revelation 3:19 ” Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest, and repent.”
You love your children don’t you? You want only the best for them, and for them to avoid as many pitfalls and sadness you had to learn the hard way growing up. So why should it be any different with our Heavenly Father? Proverbs 3:12 says, ” The Lord disciplines those He loves.” You are a cherished child of God when He admonishes you over something not right in your life. For He also wants only the best for you. When God shows you something out of kilter…get serious… don’t ignore or get angry at God…admit you need a moral re-orientation of your mind and heart, and repent.
Exodus 4: 11-12 ” The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.’ “
Moses had many excuses of why he wasn’t the person to go to the Pharaoh and demand release of the Hebrew children. But the Lord countered with an airtight defense of why Moses was just the right man for the job. We want to argue with God, but speaking from very personal experience…you’ll never win. We can object all we want, but God desires obedience exclusively. For if He calls you to something, He can and will give you whatever skill is needed to accomplish that task. With God, arguing will get you nowhere…obedience on the other hand, will move His Kingdom forward.
Colossians 3:20 ” Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.”
Let’s look at this verse from the perspective of different generations. Read this verse to a young child and they’ll readily agree that they need to obey Mommy and Daddy…but the dance starts in the application of this into everyday living. As children grow, so does their autonomy. We draw a line in the sand and they push their big toe across it…just to see what happens! Let a teenager read this verse and you’ll probably get eye-rolling and an argument of every point…like, what exactly is the definition of obedience? And does everything mean “everything”? Finally, we read this as a parent or Grandparent, having gained a wealth of experience, wisdom, and insight… and we say, “Yes, Amen!” to this verse. For all those past experiences and circumstances have drilled into us the importance of obedience… not only to our parents, but to God.
Psalm 20:7 ” Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.”
Take a moment to reflect on what exactly you put your trust in. Is it modern technology and the digital age? Or are you putting trust in the Stock Market and future commodities? Or maybe your trust lies in simpler things you hoard away. You need to remember, nothing here on earth can be trusted…for we all live in an imperfect world filled with imperfect people. But there is One that you can trust without reservation…His name is the Lord our God.
I Thessalonians 2:4 ” On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the Gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, Who tests our hearts.”
There will come a time when you’ll come to a crossroads and you’ll have to make a hard decision…do you please man, or God. Sure, pleasing man is easy, painless and non-confrontational…for the moment. But it usually comes with compromise and difficulties in the end. When we intentionally and deliberately focus our conduct on what the Lord would want us to do…people will see that our walk matches our talk.
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.
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