Promise for Today - Partial Obedience is...

So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him.

Genesis 6:22 (NLT)

If you're going to make it to the finish line in life and fulfill the vision God has given you, then you’re going to have to make a choice: Even while facing setbacks, you’re going to have to do exactly what God tells you to do—without taking shortcuts.

God gave Noah specific instructions about how to build the ark: He told Noah to build it with cypress wood and seal it with tar. Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high, with three decks and stalls throughout the interior, one door, and an 18-inch opening all the way around the boat just below the roof. He told Noah how many animals and how much food to load on the boat. “So Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him” (Genesis 6:22 NLT).

At any stage of your life, you're going to be tempted to cut corners. You're going to be tempted to take the easy way, skimp a little here and there, skip a step, or fudge a little on the accounts. God will tell you what to do, and you’ll think how much easier and faster it would be to do it your way or that you know better than God. You’ll follow through, but on your own terms.

That kind of thinking will cause you to miss your purpose and God's plan every time. Why? Because partial obedience is disobedience.

Can you imagine Noah trying to accomplish what God told him to do in his own way rather than God's way? I can imagine Noah had some questions, like, “Are the bugs really necessary?”

But a dream from God will require God’s blessing. And you cannot get God’s blessing when you are disobedient. God’s vision for Noah was too big for Noah to accomplish with his own power and his own plans. He knew he couldn’t do it without God’s blessing, and so he did everything exactly as God had commanded him. When you’re tempted to take shortcuts, you need to remember this paraphrase of Genesis 6:9: Noah “tried always to conduct his affairs according to God's will” (TLB).

Do you want this to be true of your life? You have to decide that you will choose God’s way for God’s blessing, even when it doesn’t make sense to you.

Talk It Over

Think of the dream God has given you for your life. In what ways have you been tempted to take shortcuts morally, financially, or relationally?

When you have to decide about how to pursue your dream, how can you know if you are following God’s way or your own way?

Do you think it’s okay to ask for God’s blessing on your dream? Why or why not?

- by Pastor Rick

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Prayer:

Father,

       We ask for willing and obedient hearts. Remove every resistance within us that makes us reject Your instructions. Let our hearts delight in doing Your will, even when it challenges our desires. Teach us to love obedience and to daily walk in alignment with Your Word. We desire a willing heart to obey You. Fill our hearts with love for Your commandments. Let obedience flow from love, not obligation or fear. Remove anything in us that despises or ignores Your instructions. Help us to cherish Your Word and follow it faithfully. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Wholehearted Obedience

Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be careful to obey them wholeheartedly. You have declared today that the Lord is your God.
Deuteronomy 26:16-17a NLT

I tend to multitask, and I used to think that was a good thing, especially in my line of work. However, lately I have come to realize that it is now a habit - a way of life that bleeds over into my time with family or friends, and worse! My time with the Lord. I am easily distracted, and I hate it. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30, "And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." What if Jesus only half-heartedly listened to me?

There is no half in Christ. He didn't come halfway here and then change His mind and go back. He didn't half-heal people. He did not go halfway to Golgotha. He wasn't half-dead on the Cross. When Scripture tells us He gave His life for ours, there is not ONE mention of Him doing it halfway. No place does it indicate that He gave half His life for ours. No buy-one-get-one-half-off. He was completely committed. He gave it all. Should He expect less from us?

Jesus Christ gave His all - sacrificed His whole life - so that we could be cleansed from ALL our sin (1st John 1). Not for all the ones except those things we might really like to do, or the ones we think aren't "that bad"...

What will we do with the life He's purchased and paid full price for? Will we hold out? Or will we wholeheartedly embrace the life He has bought for us and give Him our all?

Prayer:

Father,
          Give us Your strength to walk in wholehearted obedience to love You with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. We can only do this by Your grace. We want - we choose - to bring everything into obedience to Your Word. Forgive us, Father, for dragging our feet and getting distracted with the things of this world. Help us, O Lord, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - Yeah, but God...

Into the land they went, and it became theirs. For our forefathers, You made sure even the Canaanites there were powerless. You subdued everything and everyone to their power— land, kings, and people—to do with as they pleased. They overwhelmed strong and secure cities. They overtook fertile, productive land. They claimed well-furnished houses, wells that were already dug, vineyards, olive groves and orchards filled with fruit. They ate their fill. They grew fat. They basked in Your generosity and goodness. Even so, again they chose to defy You.
Nehemiah 9:24-26a The Voice

One would think that a pattern of behavior repeated over and over would become obvious - even to the perpetrator. I know I would sit in disbelief as I read the number of miracles God performed for the people of Israel and how quickly they would forget and turn from following His ways. Unbelievable...

That is, until I saw the same thing in myself. There's something about the Truth that will strike you no matter what language it's spoken in. "They basked in Your generosity and goodness. Even so, again they chose to defy You." Like a video replay, I realized I have OFTEN basked in God's generosity and goodness, and at times, still chose to go my own way when an offense or perceived onslaught kept me from what I wanted to do. 'Yeah, but God - he did this...' 'Yeah, but God, she said...' 'Yeah, but God, I couldn't just let them get away with...' 'Yeah, but God...'

Today I realized the number of times that I did this or I've said that, and yet God has shown me unfathomable mercy on innumerable occasions... "basking in His generosity and goodness." Have you ever done that? 

The truth is that doing it our own way instead of walking in God's way is to defy God. No 'yeah, buts' about it. Forgive us, O God!

Prayer:

Father,
           We pray Your Word - "It was because of Your great mercy that we were not completely annihilated or forsaken. You are a grace-filled and mercy-laden God; Our True God—You who are great, majestic, and awesome, You who always keep Your covenant of loyal love— do not overlook the trouble we are facing here today. This trouble confronts us all: our kings and our princes, our priests and our prophets, our ancestors and all of Your people— From the time of the Assyrian kings until today. You are righteous in all that You have done to us. You have faithfully upheld Your part of the covenant, but we have acted with evil."  Forgive us, O God! Change our hearts. Make them ever thirst only for You. To walk in Your will and way and not our own. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Lent - Day 32 - True Repentance

Lent Devotions from Concordia University 2025
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In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry. And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once. When the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How did the fig tree wither at once?” And Jesus answered them, “Truly, I say to you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” And when he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching, and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus answered them, “I also will ask you one question, and if you tell me the answer, then I also will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” And they discussed it among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From man,’ we are afraid of the crowd, for they all hold that John was a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. 

"What do you think? A man had two sons. And he went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ And he answered, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he changed his mind and went. And he went to the other son and said the same. And he answered, ‘I go, sir,’ but did not go. Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes believed him. And even when you saw it, you did not afterward change your minds and believe him. 

Hear another parable. There was a master of a house who planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a winepress in it and built a tower and leased it to tenants, and went into another country. When the season for fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to get his fruit. And the tenants took his servants and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first. And they did the same to them. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and have his inheritance.’ And they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” They said to him, “He will put those wretches to a miserable death and let out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the fruits in their seasons.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking about them. And although they were seeking to arrest him, they feared the crowds, because they held him to be a prophet.

Matthew 21:18-46

In Jesus’ parable about two sons it seems strange to give positive support to a son, who was initially obstinate and disobedient, just because he later “changed his mind.” I am sure we would like it better if there could be a third son, one who is asked, agrees, and does the will of the Father. However, there is only one who fits that character profile and He’s telling the story. Jesus uses this parable to highlight the contrast between two groups of people from his interactions. There are the “sinners” whose lives have been full of disobedience to God but heard Jesus’ call to repentance and turned to Him. 

Then there are the chief priests and elders whose lives seem to demonstrate obedience to God but who refuse to believe the testimony of John the Baptist and turn to Christ. The word used in “changing his mind” gives a sense of being filled with regret and can be connected with the ideas of repentance. From the time Jesus entered into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, He has done nothing but concern Himself with people repenting. There are many ways we deceive ourselves or try to fool others with a charade of obedience. But this really is no different than the second son giving empty lip service. Instead, Christ would recall John’s testimony in order to persuade us to repent: Flee the final judgment, turn from sin, turn to Christ and bear fruit in keeping with repentance. (Matthew 3:1-12)

Prayer:

Father, 

         Please forgive us for all the ways we disobey You. Forgive our feigned obedience by looking instead at the perfect obedience of Jesus and His sacrificial death. Strengthen our faith by Your Holy Spirit and produce in us fruit in keeping with repentance. Amen.

Advent - Day Thirteen

From 21 Gifts of Advent by Janelle Keith

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.

James 1:22-25 NLT

The Gift of Obedience

Joseph's head hit the pillow hard that night, anchored by his heavy heart. He just had the most honest discussion with his betrothed, Mary, and heard some unexpected news. Joseph's reaction to Mary's Immaculate Conception has us wondering what could have been. Matthew was the only Gospel writer to give perspective to Joseph's response.

Joseph pits his faith against human doubt. Divine conception is only possible with God's power, and we believe this by faith. But imagine hearing this for the first time from his point of view? Honestly, it would make me question God’s plan, too. For a carpenter, it’s natural to desire to see the plan before he starts. It's in his nature to make sure all the pieces fit well to make a polished finished project.

With all the questions of doubt and worry a new dad would have, shame and unknown concerns added pressure and weight to his mind that night. However, Joseph cried out to God like a righteous man. The father-to-be went face down before the Lord; he was literally floored.

"Lord, show me what I should do," Joseph prayed. He didn't want to expose the love of his life to disgrace, but he needed a plan to save face with the community. He planned to divorce her quietly and protect Mary from public scandal. It was all he could do since their wedding plans had taken an unexpected twist.

He fell asleep. Then Heaven dispatched another angel who appeared to Joseph in a dream. He said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” After receiving confirmation from the angel, Joseph knew what to do to honor God and Mary. God commanded Joseph's obedience over his own understanding.

Advent reflection: Obedience is best when God asks. Position yourself face down before the Lord, and you will hear God's directions clearly. We must forgo our right to understand and simply obey. Many times understanding doesn’t come until after we move in obedience. The Lord wants our complete trust in His abilities and immediate obedience. God is sovereign, and He knows what He’s doing... He has every detail planned out for us, so we only need to obey Him.

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Prayer:

Father,

           Please forgive us for every time we have chosen our perceived right to understand why or how over our immediate obedience to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Advent - Day 21 - Joy of Our Salvation

I have chosen a different devotional for the remainder of Advent. It is rich.
It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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This week we have reflected on how God’s commandments are the revelation of His perfect will. And when Jesus came, it was with the mission to fulfill the perfect will of the Father. He left us with the same commandment: follow my commandments that your joy may be full.

As we joyfully prepare our hearts for Christmas, let us also reflect on the joy that is produced in our lives through our good deeds. As we have studied and prayed this week, we have seen that there is a joy that is already present in our lives, the one we received when we accepted the life of Jesus. The joy of our salvation. Even in the storms of life, we are called to guard this joy at all costs.

We’ve also reflected daily on the fullness of joy that is found in the presence of God. We see that as we consistently worship God in the place of prayer, just as Jesus did constantly, we have access to this full joy. We draw from the abundance available in God.

Finally, this week, we walked with Jesus as He showed us what it means to walk in God’s perfect will for our lives. What it looks like to walk in alignment with the words, “it is written.” (Matthew 4) He teaches us that to love God is to follow His Word and obey it. David puts it this way: “Your word have I hidden in my heart, so that I will not sin against You.” (Psalm 119:11)

Jesus makes us this beautiful promise: “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:10)

Obey God, that your joy may be complete.

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. Second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.” (Mark 12:30-31)

Jesus captures all the commandments in these two. And He showed us how to live them.

It’s true: there is a different kind of joy that comes with knowing you are walking in the will of God. There is an abundant joy that overflows within you when you know that you are helping and transforming lives. That you are making an impact by helping people see and know Jesus.

May this be our testimony. That we begin to love God with everything we are and have. That we pursue His Word with a deep hunger and thirst and when we find it, may we walk in obedience to it. That we find our purpose in His Word and fulfill His Will.

Prayer:

Father, 

           I love You, but I want to love You more. I want to know You more. I desire a fresh encounter with You and a thirst for Your word. Holy Spirit, pour upon me the spirit of prayer, so that I can keep coming to You and learning. Help me to live as Jesus did, to desire Your will above all things. Father, help me to find my purpose in Your Kingdom agenda, so that I can fulfill Your will for my life through good deeds done in love, that my joy may be full. Amen.

Advent - Day 16 - Joy in Obedience

I have chosen a different devotional for the remainder of Advent. It is rich.
It is titled "Every Good Gift" and is written fully by Compassion Canada
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Do you know what a love language is? A love language is the unique way that each of us most readily receive and recognize love. Knowing if your spouse needs a word of affirmation, if your child needs a hug or if your friend needs some time to connect is a way to bring them joy because you are speaking to them in their unique love language.

This Advent season, as we look closer into the theme of joy, it is worth observing what brings joy to God. One thing that is unmissable throughout Scripture is that God’s love language is obedience and our obedience brings Him great joy. He delights in our obedience and rewards it with joy and increase.

Repeated in His covenant with kings, nations and generations are promises such as “If you follow My statutes and carefully keep My commandments, I will give you rains in their season, and the land will yield its produce, and the trees of the field will bear their fruit.” (Leviticus 26:3)

David knew how to reach the heart of God. He delighted greatly in God’s commandments. He loved God so deeply and passionately that He wanted nothing more than to obey and acknowledge God in all his ways. “I love your commands more than gold, more than pure gold.” (Psalm 119:127)

To truly love God, is to truly love His decrees.

When we believe that His plans for us are always for our good then we will begin to love His commands. We will begin to live our lives solely by the doctrines in His Word and our words and actions will begin to echo the heart of God. The world around us will never have to ask if we are followers of Jesus because it’ll be clear and unmistakable.

David understood this and was committed to living according to God’s laws. God found such great joy in David’s obedient heart that He lovingly referred to Him as a “man after His heart,” but also went further to establish an everlasting covenant with Him.

“Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.'' (2 Samuel 7:16)

The fulfillment of God’s promises is hinged on our obedience and surrender.

When Mary was visited by the angel who foretold the birth of Jesus, he said, “You will conceive a son, and you are to call Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of The Most High. The Lord will give Him the throne of His Father David.” (Luke 1: 31-32, emphasis added)

While Mary didn’t know much of what was to come, she yielded to God. “I am the Lord’s servant, may your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38)

Our world won’t always understand when we choose to follow Jesus and obey Him. Many times, even we won’t fully understand, but we can simply choose to trust and obey His Word. When we speak God’s love language of obedience, we bring Him joy. He promises and has proven through Scripture that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. Our obedience is always rewarded with His joy, increase and even much more than we can ever think or imagine.

Prayer:

Father, 

           Help me to desire and hunger for Your Word above all things. Holy Spirit, help me to follow the commands of Jesus. Set my life apart as I follow You. Give me the kind of heart that thirsts after You and pursues Your presence no matter the cost. Amen.

Not an Option

If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Matthew 6:14-15 NLT

Usually, when we have been hurt or wronged, we want revenge. Some sort of payback. Sadly, forgiveness is not the first thing to come to mind. We might get there eventually... once we get past the feelings and emotions, the anger and/or pain of the offense. 

We tend to think of readily-available forgiveness as only for us, not for someone who sinned against us. That somehow God is as mad at them as we are for what they did. Not so. 

I remember the first time I read today's promise with the understanding that in order to be forgiven of my sins, I must first forgive others. I remember arguing with God, "Yeah, but they did such-and-such! And for no reason!" "Yeah, but..." and more 'Yeah, buts'. I tried to weigh out the right and wrong of it, working through the intense emotions. It's tough to forgive when there are all those feelings, but we're called to walk by faith... Especially when dealing with repeat offenses, and yet, Jesus addressed that, too, in Matthew 18. Remember Peter's question. How many times do I have to forgive - seven? And Jesus told him no, seventy times seven...

Forgiveness is not about feelings. Forgiveness is not presented as an option. Forgiveness is not just a choice - it's an act of obedience to the words of Christ. If we want to be forgiven, we must forgive.

Prayer:

Father,

         Thank You for making provision so that we can be forgiven of our many trespasses against You. Let Your Word manifest in us so that we walk by faith and not by our feelings, so that we can truly love and forgive others as You have forgiven us. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Wait

Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; 

Wait, I say, on the Lord!
Psalm 27:14 NKJV

Why do we find it so hard to wait for an answer from God? Do we think He won't answer? Do we think He doesn't understand our timeline? Do we think we can just do it ourselves in our own timing? 

I hate to tell you - it all boils down to trust. Who do we trust more - God or ourselves? Do we think we can do it so we don't need to bother God - maybe save Him some time and trouble?

In 1st Samuel 10, King Saul waited the 7 days that Samuel told him to wait, then went ahead and offered the burnt sacrifices without Samuel...  Saul did NOT follow the FULL instruction. Yes, he waited 7 days. Yes, he did the burnt offerings. Seems right, doesn't it? However, Samuel had said, [wait] ...until I arrive and give you further instructions. He did not wait until Samuel arrived and lost his kingdom because of it.

Remember Daniel waited 21 days before He got an answer from God. Waiting on the Lord involves faith and prayer and patience. Will you wait? Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!

Prayer:

Father,

           Forgive us for wanting to run ahead of You to make things happen. Lord, we know that unless You build the house, we are laboring in vain. Help our hearts to know and understand and embrace the value of obedience in waiting on You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Obedience

But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols." 

1st Samuel 15:22-23a NLT

Right here (in this passage) is where King Saul was deposed. God told him to destroy everything of the Amalekite nation, but Saul didn't follow through. Oh, he did most of it, but not all of it. When confronted with the livestock that he kept, Saul replied they were going to use it to sacrifice to the Lord. It sounded logical. Seemed reasonable to Saul. However, there was a problem. Disobedience.

NOT doing what God said to do is disobedience. Wanting to do it your own way instead of His is being stubborn. Doing your own thing - or picking and choosing what part of it you want to do instead of what He said to do is rebellion... as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols...

Simple obedience... Is it an oxymoron? Sometimes it seems very difficult to fully obey, but anything less than fully obedient is disobedience and will get you deposed.

Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Never a question of whether or not it will be done, or how much of it. There is no "close enough" in the kingdom of Heaven. It's simple, really. Thy will be done... Immediately, completely and without hesitation.

Simple Obedience.

Prayer:

Father,
            Open our eyes to see our disobedience. Change our hearts to rid us of our stubborn and rebellious natures. Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Understanding the Purpose

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”
“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant.
Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.
Jesus grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people.
Luke 2:48-52 NLT

At 12, He understood His purpose. He was to be about His Father's business, but His earthly parents did not understand. This is the last story we read about Jesus' childhood. For the next EIGHTEEN YEARS, there isn't one other record of Him. However, we know that the Saviour of the world lived in submission to His earthly parents. Jesus knew that all authority is placed by God the Father, and if He was to be a man of authority, He had to submit to authority - to God's authority and the authority God placed in Jesus' life. What is the main point? Obedience.

And because He did, He grew in wisdom and in stature and in favor with God and all the people. Jesus understood the purpose of submission. He understood the great power of obedience and He walked it out in His life. How do we know that? Romans 5:19 assures us, For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. And also because 18 years later - when Jesus re-emerged onto the scene - He was fully equipped to complete His purpose... in obedience. 

And He did.

Prayer:

Father,
           We understand so little about submission to authority and complete obedience from the heart. We want to know it more. Forgive us, O God! We want more of You and less of ourselves. Help us to humble ourselves under Your mighty hand that we may fulfill Your purpose for our lives. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Same Attitude

You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
Philippians 2:5-8 NLT

Say you're in the grocery store and God nudges you to pray for someone in one of the aisles and you don't know the person. Or perhaps you get a heart-check to pay for their groceries, would you do it? Or would you politely decline with something like, "That's way out of my comfort zone, God. I can't do that." And then expect God to understand... I don't think He will understand. You see, in Romans 8, verse 29 (the Message), we are told, God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.

There were times Christ operated outside of His comfort zone. If you don't believe that, read the account of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. In His fully human state, His spirit was troubled. Matthew 26:39, He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me..."  And yet, even when He was out of His comfort zone, He operated in obedience to God. 100% and always. "Nevertheless, Thy will be done."  

According to the Word of God, God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son.  And as our Promise for Today clearly states, we are to have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. 

Prayer:

Father,

           Help us to walk in full obedience to You as Christ did, even when outside of our comfort zone. We know it's all about obedience and following you. Holy Spirit, as was promised, give us the power to become the children of God. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

 

Situational Salvation

While Jesus was here on earth, he offered prayers and pleadings, with a loud cry and tears, to the one who could rescue him from death. And God heard his prayers because of his deep reverence for God. 
Hebrews 5:7 NLT

When bad things happen in life, people often demand to know why and they tend to accuse God. Why would God allow this to happen? Why didn't God stop this? Why wasn't He there? Romans 8:35b reads, Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? Verse 38 emphatically declares No! Nothing can separate us from God's love. And yet, that's what we tend to believe. Or oftentimes, we think if we'd only known what was going to happen, that somehow we could have been prepared and it would be easier, or we could have found a different way around it. 

I find it interesting to note that in today's choice of Scripture, it says God heard Jesus's prayers when He was in the garden, praying to be rescued from death. Jesus KNEW what was coming. I find it even more interesting to know that God did NOT rescue Jesus from the situation. There was nothing lessened or made easier. Even though He prayed earnestly and fervently, Jesus was still scourged and beaten unrecognizable and then crucified.

He would have liked to have had a way around it, but Jesus chose to be obedient (Nevertheless, Thy will be done), based solely on what the Father had told Him. Hebrews 5:8 reads, Even though Jesus was God’s Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered. In Matthew 26:53-54, Jesus confirms His choice to obey, Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now? As the Son of God, Jesus could do whatever He wanted. As a man, He had to walk in obedience or we would have no hope for salvation. 

Verse 9 of today's passage reads, In this way, God qualified him as a perfect High Priest, and he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him. Our source of eternal salvation, not situational salvation. Not based on the situations in our lives, but based on the foundational Truth of God's Word. Can we stand in obedience to God even in our situations?

Prayer:

Father, 

          Thank You for the Truth of Your Word. Help us to be as David, Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee... We choose to walk in obedience to You, regardless of the situations in our lives. Like the old song says, Father, "Lift me up above the shadows..." In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Standing and Staring

“Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven?"
Acts 1:11a NLT

How often do we do the same thing? Jesus had just told them to go witness of Him and then He left... and left them staring into an empty sky. It was angels who came and asked why they were still standing there...

Well, I'm no angel, but I will ask; how long are we going to stand and stare - completely devoid of forward motion - and not do what He's told us to do?!? What is it He's asked you to do? 

This is the Book of Acts... The time is getting shorter every day.

Prayer:

Father,
         Unstop our ears to hear Your still, small voice. Finetune our hearts to first-time obedience. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Special Transport

Now the LORD had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah.
Jonah 1:17a

We all have heard at least something about Jonah and the whale. I don't know whether or not it was specifically a whale - Scripture tells us it was a large fish and God had prepared it. It appears to be yet another case of "for such a time as this..."

Jonah was running from God and God's divine will for Ninevah and for Jonah himself. God had the plan but Jonah didn't want to. It didn't fit with what Jonah thought God should do in his life. So Jonah bought his own ticket and headed in the opposite direction.

How many times have we done the same thing? Do we honestly think we'll get God to come around to our way of thinking by foisting our own rebellious will on Him?!?

I heard Pastor Alan Neel make this statement a few years back. "In the book of Jonah, we read one of the best stories about one of the greatest revivals in the annals of history... because of one man's obedience (finally)."

Doesn't that make you wonder what could happen because of our obedience - or what is NOT happening because of our lack of obedience?

We can do this easy or we can do this hard. God has the plan. Don't make Him arrange special transport to get you to His destination.

Prayer:

Father,
           Forgive us for our rebellion and pride in thinking that we know what's best for us. Help us just to trust You, no matter what. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

The Old Ways

So you must live as God’s obedient children. Don’t slip back into your old ways of living to satisfy your own desires. You didn't know any better then.
1st Peter 1:14 NLT

The Truth is that obedience has nothing to do with what we 'feel' like doing. Obedience has everything to do with our relationship with God the Father. Do we want to please Him? Yes or no. It's that simple. Truly.

Peter tells us in 2nd Peter 1:3, 5-7, By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life... In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 

Do you recognize the ways of obedience in this passage? Are children born obedient? No, they're not. They're taught to be obedient. Do they always want to be obedient? Some do, some don't, but those who are dutiful have learned the benefits of being so. They choose obedience over impulses, exercising self-control. Obedient children are well-received and find favor. They're welcomed almost everywhere. They enjoy more privileges, both within their families and at school.

Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. 2nd Peter 1:12-13 NLT 

Do NOT slip back into the old ways.

Prayer:

Father,
           We want to acknowledge You in all we do, think or say. Cause us to hear Your voice in the midst of all that clamors for our attention and walk in first-time obedience to it. We want to live as Your obedient children. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* It Doesn't Matter What They Think...

 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know what kind of woman is touching him. She’s a sinner!”
Luke 7:39 NLT

Do you think Simon ever entertained the thought that Jesus was the Saviour of the world or was it more of a "He's the latest fad - very popular. I'm sure I can prove what He's not, but just in case He IS something, I can say I hosted a dinner in His honor" kind of thing? Do you think - at that moment - Simon was re-thinking the invitation he had extended to Jesus? The woman was a sinner!

Do you think for one second that Jesus was wondering what His status would be or what it would become in the community based on this - this sinner - touching Him? Do you think He recoiled at the thought? Not on your life! Or hers. Or mine.

What they thought of Him did NOT change who He was or is. For that matter, what WE think/believe of HIM does not change who He is, but by His Grace, it can and will change us. 

I love this story for SO many reasons... but mostly I love this story because Jesus was touchable by the untouchable. What they thought of Jesus at that dinner table, what they thought of HER at that dinner table... none of it mattered to Jesus or to her. His love was REAL and she knew it. 

Too often, we rehearse the history of our lives in terms of unworthy. We know our sins. Too many to count - how could God get past all that? He showed us how. He gave His life for ours. His spotless, sinless, pure and holy life for us... the Word says, "While we were yet sinners..."  (Romans 5:8).

Do you think it was only for Mary? Do you think it's only for someone else - someone who hasn't done what you've done? Simon the Pharisee would think that. He'd have wanted YOU to think that. Remember this. Simon was wrong back then and he'd be wrong now.

Christ came to be the sacrifice for our sin so that our sins could be forgiven and we could be restored into right relationship with the Father. Lovingly and touchable. We have only to go to Jesus.

It doesn't matter what THEY think about that - what do YOU think?

Prayer:

Father, 
          Create in us a right spirit. Give us clean hands and a pure heart, O God. Thank You for loving us beyond what we can comprehend and thank You for being touchable. Help us to walk resolutely - every thought in obedience to You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Make Sure You Hear

The Lord said to Moses, “Write this reminder on a scroll, and make sure that Joshua hears it, too: I will completely erase any memory of the Amalekites from the earth.”
Exodus 17:14 God's Word Translation

This particular battle (where Joshua defeated the Amalekites while Moses was on the mountain with Aaron and Hur holding up his hands) took place about 1446 BC; 40 years before the death of Moses and the subsequent transition to Joshua's leadership. There was no mention of Joshua being the next in line to inherit Moses' position with the Israelites; there was no defined rite of passage.

One particular phrase of this verse leapt out at me this morning. I remembered the part about writing it down and erasing any memory of the Amalekites, but I didn't remember the part about making sure that Joshua would hear it, too. I researched in several translations and it was in all of them - to be certain, to tell it in the ear, to rehearse it, to make sure Joshua heard it, too.

Moses may not have known, Joshua may not have had any inkling, but God's plan was already set in motion. He knew the faithfulness of Joshua. His level of obedience to the letter. Joshua's passion to believe and act on whatever He said without question. Forty years beforehand - 40 years being the symbolism of a time of trial and testing, a type of probationary period. However, Joshua did not know it was a probationary period. It was Joshua's daily choices that allowed him to fulfill God's purpose in and for his life. Joshua CHOSE a lifestyle of faithfulness, obedience and faith.

What is God saying to us in our seemingly insignificant (to us) times that have great bearing on our eternal purpose? Know this - God does not waste words. There is absolutely NOTHING insignificant when it comes to God's plan. Are we listening? We better make sure we hear - and obey!

Prayer:

Father,
            We love Your Word. Remove from our lives the people, places and things that distract us and detract from Your plan and purpose for us. We want to be faithful and obedient like Joshua. We want to fulfill our purpose for You. Help us, O God! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Answer the Call

I made the earth, formed it, and set it in place. My name is the Lord. This is what the Lord says: Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know.

Jeremiah 33:2-3 God's Word Translation

One of the great frustrations in parenting is calling your child, knowing they can hear your call, and they don't answer. It's just as frustrating in business, and even socially; you call on the phone and get no answer. Nobody likes it. Sometimes, there are reasons for it, especially when you're at work, but other times, we're just busy. Don't you hate that? I know I do - and what I hate even more is that sometimes I'm the one guilty of being busy...

Wanna know something? God hates it, too. And He hates it with a passion. I woke up this morning with Answer on my brain, so I did a word search for call answer on BibleGateway. I was looking for Scripture pertaining to how God answers when we call on Him...and I found those...but I found more Scriptures about what God does and will do when He calls and we don't answer. Woe be unto us... Literally...

However, there are great promises for those who WILL hear God's call and answer Him. Our text for today and these two are some of my favorite passages:

Isaiah 65:23-24, They will not work in vain, and their children will not be doomed to misfortune. For they are people blessed by the Lord, and their children, too, will be blessed. I will answer them before they even call to me. While they are still talking about their needs, I will go ahead and answer their prayers! 

Psalm 91:14-16, The Lord says, I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.

We all love to read how God will answer us when we call, but it's only when we are obedient and listen to His voice. Follow His commands. He's not obligated to hear us if we won't hear Him.

Think about it for a moment. Has God spoken to you - called to get your attention about something? Did you answer? It's either Hello or Woe...  Answer the call.

Prayer:

Father,

         Forgive us for our disobedience - our rebellion - in not responding when You call us. Let our hearts respond to You as Samuel did, Here am I.  In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

* Remind Me One More Time

This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

Hebrews 10:16-17 KJV

I think I have reached the limit of my personal gigabyte storage capacity. No, not on my laptop, although that's close. I'm talking mental personal storage capacity. I want to remember, but for some reason, I do not. It can be a good thing. Most times, I don't remember to be angry or to hold an offense. More often than not, though, it isn't a good thing. If I don't write it down, I forget. And if I forget where I wrote it down, or what I named it when I saved it, it's worse than "Where's Waldo?" in trying to find it. And there are things I don't want to forget - like birthdays, checking on a friend who's sick or who has lost a loved one...

There are other things, I MUST not forget. Have you seen the movie, Passion of the Christ? I own it, but I don't watch it all the time. No, it's not one of my favorite movies, but I make myself watch it now and then, so I remember. No, I don't forget Christ went to the Cross. I can't forget that He died for my sin, to cleanse me from ALL unrighteousness. Yes, I still know He took the stripes on His back for my healing. To be honest with you, I hate watching that movie! It turns my stomach when I see how evil mankind can be and thoroughly sickens me when I think how easily I could have been part of that crowd.

However, I find I MUST be reminded one more time of a love SO great I cannot comprehend it! To my dismay, I hate to admit I can so easily get caught up in the petty cares of this world that I become complacent and lose my passion and compassion. I'm irked by little things and lose patience quickly with people God has put within my sphere of influence to love and point the way to Him. Some things if I were to tell you, you might say I have the right to be upset about, but as I watched the movie in horror - and amazement - Christ cries out from the Cross, Father, forgive them...

He was despised and rejected— a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed. All of us, like sheep, have strayed away. We have left God’s paths to follow our own. Yet the Lord laid on him the sins of us all. Isaiah 53:3-6 NLT

Remind me one more time, Lord.

Prayer:

Father,

          The covenant You have made is to put Your law in our hearts, and to write them in our minds. Your Word declares You are working in us, giving us both the desire and the power to do what pleases You. Please don't stop. Remind us, O Lord, to love as You have loved. To live obediently even unto death. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen