Obedience (A Biblical Post)

"We ought to obey God rather than men."

That is a mouth full in those 8 words, right? How do we do that? When the apostles in Acts 5 did it, they ended up in prison! It is doubtful that would happen here in America (at this time anyway) but it is still a very difficult thing.

And how do we know WHAT is obeying God? His Word tells us what to do, of course, but that too, has been interpreted by men, put into man made traditions and taught to our core. This is where I am. Obedience...in the face of men. I am a people pleaser. I always have been. I want to be a God-pleaser. Here is what I KNOW to be truth.

Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He is IT! Faith in Him is Salvation. P.E.R.I.O.D. No one..no man, woman or child....can convince me otherwise. Nothing I DO will get me to heaven. Only my faith in Jesus allows that. He is my Sacrificial Lamb. No offering of grain, barley, or a ram will cover my sin. The Precious Blood of Jesus has done that, Praise God. (I feel like singing that old time Hymn, "There's Power in the Blood"!!)

Ok, now that that is crystal clear, I can move on with my thoughts...and please know I am thinking things through here. So I have been looking at the law. I was spiritually brought (from 18 on) up in a denomination which all but ignored the Old Testament. We are no longer under the law, so why look at it?

"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:" Galatians 3:13

I am so elated to be set free from the curse of the law. Still I felt pulled to read through it....which I need to do several times, cause MAN is it tough to chew on!

So I am finding....and am still praying on...that the law was pretty important to God. Goodness, it was to be followed to the LETTER. I doubt I could have done it and would have been stoned at an early age. Another thing I am seeing while looking at that portion of Scripture is God's love of obedience. I find it hard to believe that God sent His Son from Heaven to be beaten and hung on a cross so that we could do whatever we want. Thank and Praise HIM for Salvation through faith in our Saviour, but He still desires us to obey Him. I looked at the 10 Commandments this morning. Name one of these that is now ok with God because Christ died for us. Can I, under the guise of grace, kill my neighbor because I want her new sewing room and tell everyone she was a harlot and then sleep with her husband? OF COURSE NOT! We, grace-taught, believers do not believe that either! So there has to be some rules to be obeyed. While looking at my life and setting goals for 2011, I noticed many (probably all) of the negatives in my life are listed in the Word as DIRECT consequences of disobedience. But God does not punish us...only good things come from Him, right?! I wonder. In my time with Him this morning I prayed on these things and I felt the Lord share with me...yes, I do that. (Don't judge) He gave me the coolest illustration. Zachary. My Zachary is adopted...grafted into me, just as I am grafted into my Heavenly Father.

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." Romans 8:15 (Abba is translated "Daddy")

I am HIS daughter...Zachary is MY son...no less that Bud and Kyle. Same with Charlotte. I have set rules in my home which need to be obeyed. When Zachary does not obey me, does he lose his place as my son? Is he cast out of the family? Do I love him less? No, I correct him and if he continues in the disobedience, I punish him. It is what a good parent does....it is what God, Himself tells me to do. How do I respond to him if he is disobedient all the time? Do I take pleasure in him? Do I bless him with extras? Not hardly. What about when he is obedient and does what he should do with a cheerful heart? He is my joy. I take great pleasure in him. When he wakes up in the morning, I smile when I hear his feet hit the floor. I open my arms to him and greet him with a hug and kiss. When he is disobedient and disrespectful, my time with him is spent teaching. Do I love him less? No, I don't, but my pleasure in him is much less. I am not pleased with him because I can tell he does not want to please ME. I want to please My Heavenly Father. So, I asked Him what is it that will make me obedient.

" Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him." Deut. 13:4

I have 3 children living at home. They all have rules. They are not the same rules, because they are all different ages. Some rules are the same for all 3....others are like the Spider-man saying...."With great power comes great responsibility", so as they get older their rules change...sometimes more strict and sometimes more loose. I have been the kind of woman who looks at others and decides based off of their lives, what my guidelines should be....a follower of men. Now I am going to follow God's rules for me. They may not be your rules...you may think I have gone too far, or you may think I have not gone far enough. Where I begin is to look at the life of Jesus, who gave the greatest commandment of all....

"Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." Matthew 5:44-45a