Obedience

Nita and I just celebrated our 50th Wedding Anniversary. In that time, we have had hundreds of opportunities to argue. Now, I’m not saying that we did or didn’t argue, just that we’ve had hundreds of opportunities. 

When you argue with a person, do you have the possibility of winning that argument?

Now for an important question, and please answer honestly. 

How many of you have ever argued with GOD? 

How many know that is a futile attempt? 

John 5:1-9a - NLT 1 Afterward Jesus returned to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish holy days. 2 Inside the city, near the Sheep Gate, was the pool of Bethesda, with five covered porches. 3 Crowds of sick people—blind, lame, or paralyzed—lay on the porches. 5 One of the men lying there had been sick for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?” 7 “I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” 8 Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” 9 Instantly, the man was healed! 

There is a really big point here. There is a great number of us that, when God speaks to us, we have an excuse why what He wants either won’t work or we’re not capable of doing it. This is equal to telling God that He doesn’t know what He’s talking about. 

Can you imagine that!?  Would you stand face to face with God and tell Him that He doesn’t know what you’ve been through, that He doesn’t know what you’re facing!? 

Would you tell Him that He doesn’t know your limited talents and abilities!? 

No one knows us better than our Heavenly Father.

Psalms 139:13 - NIV For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.

There was a period of a couple days when I first heard of the possibility of moving to Albania where I had to pray and seek God. I would see things that I wouldn’t have anymore, like a beautiful forest to hunt in or a river to kayak in and I would say to myself, “I’m not going to have these things anymore. And then I would grieve it, with heartache and tears (This was my arguing with God, sort of). ” Then God would immediately say, “I have something better.” After those two days I conceded and agreed to move to Albania. God did indeed have something better! 

Even Jesus had to learn obedience. 

Hebrews 5:8 - ESV Although He was a son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.

I want to talk about one of the least mentioned characters in the Bible but what we do know about this person tells us volumes about what our relationship with God should be like. 

Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, has become one of my favourite characters in the Bible because of his immediate obedience. 

Matthew 1:18-21 - NIV 18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

What an awesome responsibility to be the parent of the Messiah. 

But, Joseph didn’t know what was coming in his future, even his near future.

The Bible says, that at the birth of Jesus, three Wise Men came from the east to worship the New King. They went to the Roman king and asked about Him. They actually tipped Herod off that Jesus had been born. 

Matthew 2:13-14a - NIV 13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt,

Every time we see Joseph get a command from God he obeys right away.

Isaiah 41:10 - NASB1995  ‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

The angel told him “Do not fear”!  That phrase is in the Bible 365 times!

You do not have to be afraid to obey God.

HE has said so many times in His word that He will take care of us. 

Matthew 6:25-33 - NIV 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Let’s all make an effort to, Get to know God, Learn to hear His voice, and Do what He says, right away!  Let us dispense with that awful resistance period.

Abundant Blessings, 

Ted

Our thanks to Ted for this month’s Blog contribution

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