Musings About Obedience
Musings About Obedience
Sometimes obedience is a risk. We don't always know what's on the other side of the door of obedience, and often if we did, we would never go through the door. There are many times in my life that I see that God has brought me through things I would never have chosen, and it is a good thing I didn't know everything ahead of time, because I would never have obeyed, and would have missed the reward that came through enduring the trials that came with the obedience. Oh the wisdom and knowledge of God - how unsearchable is His wisdom and His ways past finding out.
Don't let anyone despise you for your obedience. They aren't the one who will answer before God for the choices you make. You alone will answer for your life and whether you obeyed God's voice or not.
The ones who criticize your obedience are often the ones who will not lift a hand to help you build, face the conflict with you, or take the risks of faith that you take. For the time being, they are mere spectators, while you are bloodied and muddied in the battlefield.
You cannot control someone else's decision to obey God or not -- God does not even do this. While He may provide endless "motivators" to help people choose life instead of death, blessings instead of cursings, His love rather than the emptiness of sin, He ultimately leaves the choice in their hands. Therefore, the measure of the success of what we preach is not based upon how much people listen and obey God, but whether we have discharged everything that He has asked us to give - whether WE have obeyed Him.
Don't regret the decision to obey, even after you have obeyed and see no fruit from doing so. In fact, you may be tempted to think that it was completely worthless, that all your effort has nothing to show for it except a bunch of negative consequences. The fact that we encounter warfare and experience attacks does not prove that somehow we made a wrong move, although this is how it is often treated by those who are spectators. Spectators only want a clean, no-casualty win. Being a perfectionist will not help you, because perfectionists only take the risks they are certain they will not in any way fail or look foolish. With every risk, there is the potential for casualty, but without risk, there certainly can be no victory. Sometimes our casualties (or lack of victory) come because of a lack of complete obedience, and sometimes out of a lack of knowledge or perspective, but what is important in the end is that we do what He asks, even if we have not done so completely in the past.
We don't know the impact our decisions as humans has upon the spiritual realm -- what tragedy and casualties are suffered upon angels for our disobedience and what glorious victory and wonderful triumph is enjoyed by our obedience. Doesn't it say that the angels rejoice at one sinner who repents from his ways? Though we often think of angels as being our spiritual protectors, they are also our fellow-soldiers that are trusting us in the midst of a grave war to fight with them. If we obey and join our will to the Word of God, resisting the devil, they join with us in the victory, glorying in the flight of the enemy. However, tragically, they also experience loss with us when we do not stand. Isn't this the same in the Body of Christ - when one member suffers, we all suffer; when one member rejoices, we all rejoice, because we are one in the Spirit. If the disobedience of one affects all of us, just like Achan took the accursed thing and the Children of Israel ALL experienced defeat, how much more the obedience of One, that is Jesus, causes us all to rise in victory. Isn't it HIS work inside of us that HE has begun and will bring to completion? Isn't it His grace that has called us and made us worthy to be called His Sons? Isn't it HIS obedience that has even allowed any of us to be even able to obey at all? Because of this, we are, without doubt, holding certain victory in our hands. No matter the defeat, no matter the loss, it is merely a passing vapor that will not remain. We cannot lose.
Sometimes obedience is a risk. We don't always know what's on the other side of the door of obedience, and often if we did, we would never go through the door. There are many times in my life that I see that God has brought me through things I would never have chosen, and it is a good thing I didn't know everything ahead of time, because I would never have obeyed, and would have missed the reward that came through enduring the trials that came with the obedience. Oh the wisdom and knowledge of God - how unsearchable is His wisdom and His ways past finding out.
Don't let anyone despise you for your obedience. They aren't the one who will answer before God for the choices you make. You alone will answer for your life and whether you obeyed God's voice or not.
The ones who criticize your obedience are often the ones who will not lift a hand to help you build, face the conflict with you, or take the risks of faith that you take. For the time being, they are mere spectators, while you are bloodied and muddied in the battlefield.
You cannot control someone else's decision to obey God or not -- God does not even do this. While He may provide endless "motivators" to help people choose life instead of death, blessings instead of cursings, His love rather than the emptiness of sin, He ultimately leaves the choice in their hands. Therefore, the measure of the success of what we preach is not based upon how much people listen and obey God, but whether we have discharged everything that He has asked us to give - whether WE have obeyed Him.
Don't regret the decision to obey, even after you have obeyed and see no fruit from doing so. In fact, you may be tempted to think that it was completely worthless, that all your effort has nothing to show for it except a bunch of negative consequences. The fact that we encounter warfare and experience attacks does not prove that somehow we made a wrong move, although this is how it is often treated by those who are spectators. Spectators only want a clean, no-casualty win. Being a perfectionist will not help you, because perfectionists only take the risks they are certain they will not in any way fail or look foolish. With every risk, there is the potential for casualty, but without risk, there certainly can be no victory. Sometimes our casualties (or lack of victory) come because of a lack of complete obedience, and sometimes out of a lack of knowledge or perspective, but what is important in the end is that we do what He asks, even if we have not done so completely in the past.
We don't know the impact our decisions as humans has upon the spiritual realm -- what tragedy and casualties are suffered upon angels for our disobedience and what glorious victory and wonderful triumph is enjoyed by our obedience. Doesn't it say that the angels rejoice at one sinner who repents from his ways? Though we often think of angels as being our spiritual protectors, they are also our fellow-soldiers that are trusting us in the midst of a grave war to fight with them. If we obey and join our will to the Word of God, resisting the devil, they join with us in the victory, glorying in the flight of the enemy. However, tragically, they also experience loss with us when we do not stand. Isn't this the same in the Body of Christ - when one member suffers, we all suffer; when one member rejoices, we all rejoice, because we are one in the Spirit. If the disobedience of one affects all of us, just like Achan took the accursed thing and the Children of Israel ALL experienced defeat, how much more the obedience of One, that is Jesus, causes us all to rise in victory. Isn't it HIS work inside of us that HE has begun and will bring to completion? Isn't it His grace that has called us and made us worthy to be called His Sons? Isn't it HIS obedience that has even allowed any of us to be even able to obey at all? Because of this, we are, without doubt, holding certain victory in our hands. No matter the defeat, no matter the loss, it is merely a passing vapor that will not remain. We cannot lose.
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