Obey: September 4, 2014

TODAYS WORD FOR THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2014.

OBEY

DEFINITION:

To comply with the wishes, instructions or commands of; to follow orders; to submit to authority.

SCRIPTURE:

The people said to Joshua, “We will serve the Lord our God and we will obey His voice.” Joshua 24:24.

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

When did you last hear a sermon on obedience?  It is not often that a minister will speak on this subject because it does not draw large crowds because it sounds too much like following orders or submitting to laws or commandments. People in today’s culture do not want to hear this. Many feel today that Jesus came to set us free from all this obedience stuff.

In Romans 8:2-4 we are told that Jesus came to set us free from the law of sin and death so that the requirement of the law might be filled in us. In other words He set us free from disobedience. Christian liberty frees us to obey our Fathers commandments.

Oswald Chambers in his book “Still higher for His highest,” says true liberty is the ability earned by practice to do the right thing. Doing the right thing is obedience.

The Israelites heard time after time in a thundering way about obedience and they responded so often by rebellion and suffered severe consequences. Through Moses God instructed the Israelites that if they would obey Him, He would bless them.

We read in Deuteronomy 28:1-3 Moses instruction concerning obedience: “If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands that I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. All these blessings will come upon you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God: You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.”

In verses 4-12 Moses tells of the ways God will bless them. Two things are important to take note of in verse one: The instruction is to fully obey and carefully follow. Obedience that brings blessing takes more than a half-hearted commitment. Israel’s downfall was that they never fully learned their lesson. It is a lesson for every believer today. OBEDIENCE BRINGS GOD’S BLESSINGS!

Jesus had a great deal to say about obedience and His words were powerful because they came from an obedient and sinless life. In John 6:38 He tells us that He came down from heaven to do the will of God, the Father. Jesus admonishes us to be like Him. “Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter (Matthew 7:21).

When we obey our Lord, doors of blessing will open in front of us, and we will have an abundant life as never before.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in I Peter 5:7.

Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

PRAYER:

Help me to fully obey You and carefully follow Your laws so that I can have all the blessings You have for me. May my life through my words and deeds exemplify the importance of obedience in one’s life.