Daily Devotion - Obedience
With a sense of pride we hop onto our soapbox to waggle our finger in the face of others. “You can’t… You shouldn’t… You won't enter heaven if you…” Simple steps that lead others—not to Christ—but lead us away from God.
When God gives you a vision, it is specific and individual. Although it’s expressly for you, it is also intertwined with His bigger picture. Your job is to obey the vision you’ve received just like mine is to obey the one He’s sent to me.
The book of Judges paints a sad picture of what can happen when a culture rebels against God’s authority. As people reject his standards of right and wrong, gross immorality and chaos result.
There are times in life when we suffer painful physical or emotional circumstances, and cry out to God to deliver us, not realizing that He is performing a procedure to help us through the situation.
For the most part, God doesn’t reveal our entire life plan to us. But, that’s so He can show Himself faithful and give us the opportunity to obey Him.
We may be sure that God is never and nowhere to be found but in His ways. And that there, by the soul who seeks and patiently waits, He is always most surely to be found. “Wait on the Lord, and keep His ways, and He shall exalt thee."
We boast about our plans to make money or to prosper in some way when we should be placing our confidence and trust in God. What he wants us to do will last for eternity. What I want now will end as soon, and as quickly, as my life on earth ceases to be.
But now I see that keeping my word is really a duty, in the highest sense. It is something I not only owe other people--but I owe it to God and myself, as well. And as I give I receive.
The disciples could hardly believe their ears. Had Jesus forgotten how the Jews in Jerusalem recently tried to kill him? Why in the world would he want to put his life in danger by going back to Judea?
God has great plans for our lives, and we need to remember that we are not destined to be quitters no matter how difficult the task might be that is set before us. God will not forsake us. If everything in life were easy then we would not see the importance of being stretched.
Have you ever found yourself repeating the same tasks day after day? Did you ever ask God, 'Why am I wasting time here God? What does this have to do with your destiny for my life?'
Everyday, as we listen closely for the voice of the Lord, we do engage in a step by step, moment by moment walk of faith. I now understand why I needed to go and fly a kite that morning. It was a great object lesson for me, in how we are to move only by the pulse of the Spirit.
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