Living In Obedience To His Glory And Our Benefit

1 Peter 1:2 (Photo credit: [Share the Word])

When we think of obedience, one thing that often comes to mind is a misbehaving child. However, we are all misbehaving children of our Father, and as we get older, we can find ourselves more hard-headed for many reasons. When it comes to obedience, we must also have trust in the Lord, for they are two sides of the same coin. We don't want to live a life of worry, but that is exactly what happens when we try and direct our own paths with common sense instead of trusting in and obeying God. As the song says "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."

We should always check ourselves against what God has to say first. When we fail to do this, confusion is allowed to enter into our decision making process. Consider the story in Matthew 14 when Peter was walking across the water to Jesus. Satan is the author of confusion, and 1 Corinthians 14:33 says that God is the author of peace. Sometimes whatever we're supposed to do may not make human sense to us as we act, but we must do it anyway. When we choose to worry instead of act out of obedience to our Lord, we have practiced infidelity, not trusting that God can direct and fulfill our lives.

Sometimes obedience might seem easy, and at other times, it can really test our faith, devotion, and trust in God. Perhaps a time comes when we are able to help prevent a person's suffering, but after praying about the situation, we realize that God doesn't want us to intervene. Our trust in and obedience to God affects other people too! If we disobey God, we may have removed an obstacle for this person that was put in place to help them surrender to His will. Only the good we do through Christ will withstand the test of time, as everything we do will be tested by the fire as it says in 1 Corinthians 3:13. We must be building on the Rock, and this requires trusting in God and being obedient to His commands. "If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15

 According to its Greek roots, the word obedience means to listen attentively and to conform to authority. "Blessed  rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it." Luke 11:28 Don't we desire to receive God's full blessing in our lives? We must listen when God speaks to us through His Spirit and through His Word. We may not be able to see God just yet, but we can listen to and obey Him. This is the love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith." 1 John 5:3-4

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God Wants His People Active, In His Service, And To His Glory!

God's Glory (Photo credit: loswl)

"Make sure you've done everything you can about a situation before you let the chips fall where they may. God wants his people active, in his service, and to his glory."

"Many people tend to blame God for what happens to them, but they never thank God when something good happens. Which is it? I'll tell you that God is not to blame for negative things that happen to you, that is unless he is trying to get your attention, in which case you need to look up."

"If you let go of your ego for just a minute, and you take a look around you giving God full credit, you begin to truly understand what "purpose" really means."

"Due to human nature, linear thinking, and time, at best we are only able to approach something from one direction. God approaches everything from all directions."

"We always have ideas and plans for what we want to do, but we have to make sure we're listening to hear what God wants us to do."

"Don't settle for what is handed to you. Explore every chance that you get. Take risks when appropriate. Listen to your conscious. Your first instinct is usually right. Prioritize, and above all, seek God and read His Word. Love because love transcends all, and seek your purpose."

"Let your faith be unshaken, but as for other life concerns, keep an open mind. Many a time, you will swear to your core you are right while others say something different, and many a time, you will wake up and realize after more experience that you're actually wrong. It's a sobering thing, and we could get a lot more out of life if we actually listened more to advice from others instead of furthering our own selfish motivations. After all, we all bleed red, and we are all God's children."

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